In the End
by Mystery002
Summary: Anger and sadness washes away, leaving only the dark temptation of revenge. With the return of Mephiles, the idea of this revenge and the thoughts of betrayal seem tangible.
1. Painful Truth

**IN THE END**

Chapter 1- Painful Truth

"_Shadow..."_

"_Oh Shadow..."_

_An ebony and crimson hedgehog stirred slightly, his face contorting from being waked prematurely, before his eyes opened, revealing inferno-mimicking orbs dotted with obsidian._

_Blinking to get some moisture into his dry eyes, the hedgehog looked around unsurely at his surroundings, all the while still laying on the pitch black ground that seemed to stretch around him endlessly._

_The rest of this place was no different, totally dark save for a dull light that illuminated the small space the ultimate life form occupied._

_Grunting slightly, the ebony warrior raised his arms and pushed his body up, using his knees as a support. He was about to stand up to his full height when a voice interrupted him, causing the ultimate life form to freeze on the spot._

"_Look at you, you're pathetic..."_

"_Who are you?" Shadow asked groggily, his eyes scanning the surroundings._

_The voice laughed wickedly, sending shivers up the dark hedgehog's spine, a feat not so easily accomplished._

"_Elise really did extinguish the flame then, didn't she?"_

"_What are you talking about?" the ultimate life form questioned again, wearily standing to his full height with a push of his legs._

"_Hm hm hm hm, you shall see soon enough, my dear Shadow..."_

_The dark hedgehog blinked at the voice. Was this character mocking him? Rage washed over Shadow's features in an instant._

"_Reveal yourself!" the ultimate life form commanded with a roar._

"_As you wish..."_

_The black and red hedgehog searched the surrounding area once again for any sign of the phantom. But, once again, there was only a deep, endless abyss of darkness._

"_I said come out!" Shadow shouted again, his head twisting and turning right and left in search for the invisible menace._

"_I'm right here," a voice from behind the hedgehog drawled, his voice now nonchalant._

_Shadow's eyes went wide. Why hadn't he been able to detect him? The phantom didn't let a single strand of energy leak out. Whirling around to face his adversary, Shadow's breath got trapped in his throat._

_Before him stood an exact mirror image of himself._

_The surrounding darkness would not show the phantom's true colors, but he could tell that he had highlights just like himself. There was only one major difference between the two that Shadow could spot at the moment:_

_The fake hedgehog had slitted, green, snake-mimicking eyes._

_The ebony and crimson hedgehog tilted his head slightly, with the doppelganger copying his exact movement._

_For a second the ultimate life form really wondered if he was staring into a mirror or not._

"_Who are you?" Shadow asked, standing back up straight, with the phantom hedgehog mirroring his movements again perfectly._

"_I don't believe there is a need for an introduction Shadow, since we have met in the past," the copy answered._

_Shadow offhandedly noticed that the phantom didn't have a mouth._

_The charcoal-colored hedgehog snorted slightly, "I don't remember ever meeting you."_

_The dark creature in front of Shadow chuckled sinisterly, "There is much you do not remember, at least not the truth."_

_The black hedgehog narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"_

"_You remember that Maria was shot on Ark by G.U.N., don't you?" the mystery creature asked, waving his hand into the air much like a magician would._

_Shadow nodded slightly, "Of course, but that doesn't explain who you are or why I'm here."_

_The phantom raised a finger in amusement, "Ah, but it does."_

_Shadow's ruby-red eyes narrowed even further, his brows furrowing._

"_What if I told you G.U.N. had absolutely nothing to do with the death of your beloved Maria?"_

_There was a sudden silence that washed over the scene, but it only lasted a few moments. Shadow managed to chuckle slightly, "I would call you a fool."_

_The copy raised its right hand as a small light began to pierce through the darkness, "Then prove my claims false, Shadow the Hedgehog, as you look into your true past!"_

_Shadow did not move, but only directed his gaze towards the source of the light, resisting the urge to close his eyes from the intruding brightness of the piercing light. The light grew and manifested, until it consumed the entire area, the two hedgehogs included. The ultimate life form never budged as he was lost in the sea of the divine luminosity._

"_Brother, where are you brother?" Shadow called._

_The small black and red hedgehog ran swiftly through the metallic halls of space colony Ark, occasionally passing by a few bewildered scientists._

_His voice was a higher pitch than usual, making it obvious the small hedgehog had not fully matured yet. In fact, going by the date of his creation, Shadow was only seven years old._

_Turning into a corner, the small hedgehog came to an abrupt stop when he ran full-force into something. Thrown back, Shadow landed on his rump._

"_Ow," the seven year-old Shadow mumbled, rubbing his lower back._

_Looking up at who or what he ran into, his face brightened._

"_Brother, I found you!" the young hedgehog yelled with a smile, hopping back onto his feet._

_Before him stood a white hedgehog with silver highlights in his quills, on his arms, and on his legs. He was wearing white and silver hover shoes that mimicked the ones Shadow would soon own down to the last detail. His piercing silver eyes looked down upon Shadow with quiet nonchalance._

_On his arms were two bulky, silver cuffs that most likely acted like the power restrainers Shadow would own soon._

_He looked almost exactly like Shadow save for the fur color, eyes, and the two bottom quills on his head that pointed down instead of up, like Shadow's. He, unlike Shadow, seemed fully developed, both physically and mentally. The tall hedgehog was fifteen years old._

_The taller hedgehog before Shadow smiled slightly, "How are you, Shadow?"_

"_I was looking all over for you," the ultimate life form said with a smile, grabbing his older brother's hand, "Gerald just told me that I could train in the Gravity Chamber, but that I have to have a partner, can you help me train?"_

_Shadow gave the white and silver hedgehog before him a sweet smile along with big red, puppy-dog eyes. The other hedgehog's icy silver eyes softened under the gaze of his brother's innocent large ruby orbs._

_The older hedgehog nodded, "Sure."_

_Shadow yelped in victory and grabbed his brother's hand, dragging him into the direction of the Gravity Chamber._

"_All right Shadow," the white and silver hedgehog exclaimed with a small smirk, holding a hand full of tennis balls, "Try to dodge all of these."_

_The young Shadow nodded enthusiastically as his brother lightly tossed a ball at him, which suddenly accelerated to incredible speeds. The young hedgehog just barely managed to duck out of the way as the ball whizzed over his head, hitting the white wall behind him with a loud clank._

_Before the young ultimate life from had time to recover, another ball came whizzing at him. Shadow jumped this time to avoid it before he was hit square in the face with another._

_Dropping to the ground, the red and black hedgehog held his right cheek, which was turning a light pink color._

"_Ow brother, you threw that one too hard!" Shadow accused, standing back up to his feet._

_The white hedgehog shrugged with a small smirk, dropping the rest of the tennis balls onto the ground,"You're the one who wanted to train with me."_

_The white hedgehog knew there was no way Shadow could have dodged that ball, but his smaller brother was always so enthusiastic about training with him. He had to make it a challenge._

_Shadow smiled, "Yeah, I guess you're right."_

_The door to the large white metallic room suddenly slid open as an old, bearded man in a lab coat stepped in. The silver-tainted hedgehog's small smirk immediately reversed into a scowl at the sight of his "father"._

"_Gerald," the white hedgehog mumbled, squeezing his hands into fists._

_The scientist all but ignored Shadow and had his full attention on the hedgehog's larger counter-part as he spoke, "We have to talk, now."_

_The eyes of the tall hedgehog narrowed, "What about?"_

_Gerald stepped aside to reveal two armed guards that cocked their guns obediently, "It's best if we discuss it in private."_

_Shadow looked on confused as his brother walked towards Gerald and out the door after giving his younger brother a small but reassuring smile._

_What was that all about?_

"_Man, I'm tired!"_

_Shadow wearily slumped down against the side of the metallic wall that surrounded the Gravity Chamber. He had been training for almost three days now, catching only a little amount of sleep._

"_I wonder what brother is doing?" Shadow asked to no one in particular. He had not seen his older brother since he left with Gerald that day in this very same training facility._

_The young hedgehog shrugged, standing back up._

"_I think I should go and see Maria, she's probably worried about me," the young ultimate life form mumbled before running out of the door._

_Much to the young Shadow's surprise, the station was completely silent and dark._

_'Strange,' Shadow thought, 'It's not that late, where is everybody?'_

_The only sound in the eerie environment was the soft clanking of Shadow's shoes against the metallic floor. Usually at this time, this place bustled with life. Scientists were everywhere. The black hedgehog ignored the thought and began heading towards his and Maria's quarters._

_It was the same everywhere Shadow went. Complete silence and darkness. Absolutely no one was in sight._

_Speeding up his pace a little, Shadow went into a full-fledged, panic-fueled sprint as he tried to make it to his room as fast as possible._

_The darkness surrounding him with the ghostly silence was scaring the young hedgehog. His big red eyes scanned his surroundings frantically, the young hedgehog's imagination and mind plagued with monsters jumping out of the darkness at him._

_Finally stopping before the familiar door that was his own, Shadow sighed in relief and opened it with the press of a button next to it, entering the room, which was also completely dark._

"_Maria?" Shadow asked in a small frightened voice, the door behind him closing with a hiss, "Where are you?"_

_The room was completely barren, no soul in sight._

"_Maybe they went to the observation room," Shadow mumbled, thinking of the large room with a giant window that was used to look down upon the Earth. Maria loved it there, and went there often so it was the obsidian hedgehog's best bet._

_Opening the door and running back out of the room, the ultimate life form sprinted in the direction of the observatory at top speed._

_Shadow gulped as he stood before the door that lead to the observatory. Something just didn't seem right, where was everyone? Why was it so dark, why was there not one single sound on the entire station?_

_The ultimate life form shook his head, pulling a small switch that would open the door._

_The large door slid open with a loud hiss as the young hedgehog entered the giant room. The glow from the Earth below was the only thing illuminating the room._

_Shadow stepped into the room, the door sliding closed behind him. His eyes scanned the room, finally resting on the central platform. And what he saw almost made him vomit, cry, and scream at the same time._

_There, lying in a puddle of her own blood illuminated by the eerie glow of the moon, was the young Maria Robotnik, her grandfather Gerald protectively sprawled over her lifeless body in a last attempt to protect her._

_Both were completely motionless. It was not a hard task to figure out that the two were no longer alive._

_Tears started involuntarily flowing from Shadow's eyes. How? Why?_

_A sudden movement made Shadow perk up, standing in a defensive position, still scared to death._

_His ruby-red eyes picked out a silhouette that stood against the eerie glowing window of the room, his outline making it obvious that it was a hedgehog, one taller and probably older than Shadow. His stance was statue-like and his fists were clenched at his sides. The head of the shadow was turned to the side._

"_Who are you?" Shadow managed to ask timidly through chocked sobs._

_The young black hedgehog pushed back another sob, the corner of his eye still drowning in the image of Maria and Gerald laying before him, slaughtered. The phantom turned towards the young hedgehog after a small pause, eerie silver eyes glowing through the darkness and focused onto Shadow._

_Young Shadow's eyes widened. No, it couldn't be, it was impossible!_

_The stranger lifted his foot, stepping closer to the two corpses and Shadow. Waves of shadows and moonlight rolled over his expressionless face, revealing it completely under the glow of the Earth below._

"_Brother?" Shadow asked in shock, not wanting to believe in his idol's presence "What are you-why are you"-_

"_Foolish brother," the older hedgehog interrupted, his voice cold and nonchalant._

_Shadow's teary red eyes widened but he managed to choke back a sob and speak,"What happened brother? Maria and Gerald, they're both dead."_

_The white hedgehog's face remained expressionless as he raised his right hand. It was completely covered in a deep, red liquid, so much that drops of it were rolling off his glove._

_It was blood._

_More tears streamed down Shadow's face, "No...no, you didn't. Why?"_

_There was a heavy silence after the young hedgehog's question. The taller hedgehog did not move at all, his unblinking eyes still focused intently on his younger sibling._

"_To rid myself of these attachments and rules. I had been bowing to someone inferior than myself for long enough, it was time to end it. I have a higher purpose in life than this, I am meant to be more powerful, as are you."_

_Shadow squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as his brother continued._

"_They were not expecting it, so it was quick."_

"_Where is everyone else?" Shadow managed to ask through more tears and chokes, opening his eyes._

_The tall hedgehog directed his gaze towards the window, with Shadow following._

_And the sight before him made the young hedgehog step back out of fear before vomiting onto the cold steel floor. In the vacuum of space, dozens of human bodies littered the area around the colony._

_They were all floating in no precise order or fashion. Their faces were all blue, due to the sheer coldness of the place they were in and the lack of oxygen. There was no doubt that they were dead._

_Shadow fell to his knees when he heard his brother's voice again, "They on the other hand, saw my attacks coming, so to save precious energy, I simply shot them into space."_

_Shadow's ruby eyes suddenly flared with fury and hate as he shot up and charged for his brother._

_How could he do this? Why would he do this? Shadow didn't care, the young hedgehog only saw red._

"_**You bastard**__!" Shadow cried as he lunged at the more powerful hedgehog._

_The murderous hedgehog's nonchalant, almost lazy gaze never wavered. His smaller brother posed no real threat, and Shadow knew that better himself. Yet, he was still charging at him._

_Foolish._

_The taller hedgehog simply jabbed Shadow in the stomach with lightning-fast precision to cause his assault to cease. Shadow collapsed onto the floor in a heap, his breath ragged and torn._

"_You are so weak, it disgusts me," Shadow heard his brother say from above him._

_Out of pure terror, the young hedgehog managed to scoot backwards, his gaze traveling to the one of the hedgehog standing above him, never breaking it._

"_There is one simply reason I will let you live," the homicidal hedgehog explained, his eyes traveling from Shadow and towards the two corpses of Gerald and Maria, "You have the power to surpass me, to kill me."_

_Shadow continued to retreat when his brother appeared before him in a silent wisp of air and picked him up by the neck, raising him to eye level._

"_When you have awakened the powers that reside within you, seek me out. Until then, you aren't worth my time."_

_Shadow shook his head, unwilling to believe what his brother was saying. This had to be a dream, it had to be!_

"_So, foolish brother, hate me, envision yourself standing over my fallen body, and once you have awakened, come before me."_

_The young ultimate life form didn't even have time to scream before he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. The last thing he saw were the cold and emotionless eyes of his older brother, the one he had loved, the one he had looked up to, and the one that took everything from him._

_Then everything went black..._

_The full grown adult Shadow was once again in the strange real of complete darkness with the phantom hedgehog that had just shown him that horrific memory standing above him._

_The ultimate life form was on his hands and knees, gasping for air and sweating effusively. That illusion felt so real...was it?_

"_Why...did you show..me that?" Shadow asked between heavy breaths._

"_The reasons are my own to know," the phantom answered, "But after that incident, G.U.N. retrieved you and gave you that false memory in order to protect themselves and the world from your brother, hoping they had seen the last of him and making sure that you would not seek him out."_

"_Where is he?" Shadow asked, standing back up, although still completely mentally fatigue._

"_I do not know," the copy answered, "But you will need to get stronger if you want to defeat him. At your current level, you won't stand a chance."_

"_At least tell me your name," Shadow demanded, his breath still raged._

_The dark creature in front of him chuckled lightly._

_His body began evaporating into the surrounding environment, just like water into the air. Before the creature disappeared completely, Shadow heard it utter one more thing._

"_Mephiles the Dark."_

_Before the ultimate life form could ask another question or even regain his footing, the phantom completely disappeared and the realm around him began to crumble at the absence of its master._

_The last name that crossed Shadow's mind before returning to the real world was the one of his brother:_

_Eclipse._

Author's Note-

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog or any of the related characters in this story. Some of the characters however, are fan-based and owned by myself. The plot is copyright of Mystery001(I'm just putting that there so no one will copy this and present it as their own, I've worked too hard on this).

This story takes place after Sonic the Hedgehog, so make sure you play it or at least understand its story before reading this. It also happens after Sonic and the Secret Rings but that game had no real main-story involvement in this so understanding it is not necessary.

It has many inspirations for the plot. Star Wars, Spider-man 3's Sandman and the animated series Bleach and Naruto are just a few. I'm just putting this up so people don't start crying: "This is like Star Wars!" or "This is like Naruto!" There may be a few instances when this happens. The plot is ninety percent original though.

I began working on this when I was still writing An Ultimate's Legacy. The exact date of started production is February 1st, 2007. I really have been working all this time, and this story is exceptionally long, that's why I needed a head-start in order to update regularly.

This story includes many, many characters. Some were created by Sonic Team, some were created by myself. If you do not like OC's, then please don't read this story, as there will be quite a few.

Also (Yeah, I know this is long), the "speaking" form is not precisely to-book, meaning that it is slightly different from other forms. I just hate writing in the other forms though, but I hope no one will be bothered by that.

Warning: Shadow's past will be screwed with (again) so if you don't like, don't read.

One last thing: Tails will be considered Sonic's adopted brother in this story, not having the title of best friend. That will belong to someone else. If you like the whole "I'm Sonic and Tails is my best friend forever, not my little bro" thing, you might not like this story.

Sorry for the long wait, but here it is, my grandest story to date.

This is just the introductory chapter, so don't freak out if you don't like it yet! See you next time for chapter two!


	2. Mission to Painite Desert

Author's Note: I've gotten some reviews saying that the first chapter was a lot like Naruto. Yeah, I know, but I could find no other possible way to pull off the scene of Shadow's brother killing everyone on Ark. So, sorry for that. If you didn't like that, I suggest you stop reading my story because the first part of the story (out of four) has some more Naruto and Bleach influence.

Chapter 2- Mission to Painite Desert

It had been ten full, tiresome, and nightmare-filled weeks since Shadow had the vision about his older brother. His sleep was plagued by his brother's image, by his voice, by his eyes.

He had told his closest companions of the vision and they were skeptical of a phantom hedgehog telling Shadow of a homicidal, older brother but began to accept it when the ultimate life form's attitude began to change drastically.

But that wasn't the only thing Sonic and the others noticed, they also began to see how Shadow was becoming cold and distant from them. He was a lone wolf before the vision but at least he would occasionally talk to them and not treat them like a burden.

Usually he would pick fights with Sonic or Knuckles, but ever since that incident, he had not been the same. His mind was only set on revenge for everyone on Ark, for his family. He reeked of blood lust.

Even Rouge the Bat, famed treasure huntress and the closest person to Shadow could not get him to open up. She was becoming worried.

All he ever seemed to care about now was killing this "Eclipse" character. He trained day and night, until he was at the point of collapsing. Rouge even had to drag him to her club a couple of times when she found him lying in the dirt by the outskirts of Station Square.

The black hedgehog had refused all other help after that, not willing to take food or shelter from the bat anymore. He didn't even show any gratitude for the huntress' kindness.

-

"Sonic, we've been called to the mayor's office," Tails informed his childhood hero, who was lazily lounging against a palm tree on Emerald Beach, his green eyes closed to the world.

Sonic didn't open his eyes, "What for?"

"Something about trouble in Painite Desert," the fox responded unsurely, "He wouldn't go over any of the details with me, but he did say he wanted you, and anyone you were willing to gather up to report to his office immediately.

The blue speed hero yawned, acting as if he were totally uninterested in the subject.

"Sonic," Tails whined at his friend's stubbornness.

The cerulean hedgehog sighed, "Fine," he murmured as he jumped up, snapping his eyes open with a few blinks to adjust to the light, "Do you know where Shadow is?"

Tails shrugged, "No idea."

The speed demon rolled his eyes, "You're being very helpful, you know that?"

The two-tailed fox perked up, eyes practically shinning under the sun "Really?"

Sonic blinked, "I was being sarcastic Tails."

And with those last words spoken, Sonic took off at incredible speed, sending up wisps of air and stray newspapers, in the search for his black and red counter-part.

"Where could Mr. Ultimate life form be?" Sonic asked himself as he whizzed through the populated streets of Station Square.

Ever since that weird guy visited Shadow, things just hadn't been the same. They would usually argue and bicker at each other, but now the obsidian hedgehog wouldn't even look at him anymore.

Sonic rubbed his chin as he turned a corner, "Mephiles, I heard that somewhere before."

-

"**Chaos Spear**!"

A large brown boulder burst into millions of tiny pebbles, raining from the sky under a large cloud of brown debris as an ebony and crimson hedgehog stood a few feet from the explosion, breathed heavily, sweat running down his brow.

He had been training like this for ten weeks, and had already developed some new techniques, as well as modify some of his old ones.

For one, he learned how to concentrate his Chaos Spear into a more dense ball of energy, and could now hold it in his hand and literally thrust the ball into something, having a way more devastating effect than shooting a small energy blast at short range, although using more energy was of course a con.

Another thing he had learned was directing his Chaos Blast into any specific part of his body, such as his arm or leg to make for a more controlled and lethal attack, rather than just releasing a wave of energy from his entire body.

He had also mastered a few new techniques, ones that would reveal themselves soon enough. With each new technique that he developed or improved, his hopes for defeating his hated brother increased.

The hedgehog began charging up another Chaos Spear, yellow bolts of energy dancing in his right hand, when his sensitive ears picked up a faint sound behind him.

Whipping around at break-neck speeds, Shadow pointed the glowing ball of energy right into a bewildered blue hedgehog's face.

Sonic raised his arms up defensively, "Whoa, take it easy Shadow."

Shadow lowered his arm, the glowing orb's energy dispersing back into the dark one's body.

"What do you want?" the ultimate life form asked with a hint of nonchalance, getting straight to the point.

"The mayor is asking for out presence in his office," Sonic answered, lowering his arms.

The obsidian hedgehog hesitated for a moment before simply turning his back to Sonic and started walking away, "I don't have time to talk to that fool, I have more important things to do."

"Like what?" Sonic asked skeptically, raising a brow.

"Like train," Shadow snapped, obviously irritated by the blue hedgehog's bombardment of questions.

"It might be something interesting," the cerulean hero reasoned, trying to snag Shadow's interest.

Shadow huffed, "I highly doubt that."

"There might be someone strong to fight, it's better than beating the hell out of a bunch of rocks."

The charcoal-colored stopped. The blue idiot did have a point. This type of training could only get him so far and even though he had already made amazing progress by anyone else's standards, it wasn't enough for the ultimate life form.

He had to close the gap between him and his brother indefinitely before a challenge to the menacing white hedgehog was even worthy of thought.

He had no idea exactly how powerful Eclipse really was now, but he knew the white and silver murderer held extraordinary amounts of power. He was his predecessor as the ultimate life form, after all.

Shadow turned back around, looking Sonic in the eye with a hidden curiosity covered with indifference, "Very well."

The super-sonic speedster smiled and got into a running position, bending his knees, "Alright, now we still need to get Rouge and Amy, we can get Knuckles later."

The black hedgehog nodded slightly, stepping next to the blue wonder.

Sonic flashed him one of his famous trade-mark smiles, "Can you still keep up with me, all you've been doing lately is fighting and training for strength."

The ebony anti-hero smirked slightly, the old rivalry between the two sparking again, "Don't flatter yourself moron."

Sonic's smile widened, oh how he loved some good competition! Especially with someone that could actually keep up with him!

"Race ya to Amy's house," Sonic challenged.

Shadow's smirk grew wider as well, "Make sure you get there before Amy and I leave, moron"

"Confident are we?" Sonic asked with a sarcastic chuckle.

"Shut up and run," the ultimate life form responded, taking off, nothing more than a black blur.

The hero smirked again before taking off as well, nothing more than a cerulean blur to the naked eye.

-

"Oh Sonic, have you come to take me out on a date?" a peppy pink hedgehog asked a sea-blue one. Shadow stood next to his blue rival, his arms crossed.

Sonic rubbed his ear slightly from the sound level of the pink hedgehog, "Not exactly Amy, the mayor asked to see us and told us to bring anyone we wanted to."

The bubble gum-colored hedgehog beamed, "So you decided to bring me? How sweet of you Sonic!"

"Uh-I..." the blue hedgehog stammered, realizing his potentially fatal mistake.

Amy straightened out, "But why does the mayor want to see us? He hasn't spoken to us since the Black Arms invaded Westopolis."

"Can we go?" Shadow suddenly snapped, irritated by all the small-talk.

"You should mind your manners more Shadow," Amy scolded, raising her index finger at the black hedgehog.

The ultimate life form's expression faltered before a clear look of angry annoyance washed over his face. Sonic's eyes widened slightly when he saw this and pushed Amy into her apartment.

"We'll be out in a minute Shadow," Sonic reassured with a smile before closing the door and turning to the pink female.

"Amy," Sonic began, his voice low and serious, "You know Shadow isn't in the best of moods recently."

The pink female shrugged, "I know, but that still doesn't excuse him from being a jerk."

"Just cool it, okay?" Sonic asked pleadingly, giving his fan girl puppy dog eyes.

Amy sighed, who could resist Sonic when he pouted like that? "Whatever, as long as he doesn't go over-board."

-

"Rouge, are you there?" Sonic yelled, slamming his fist against the bat's door that lead into Club Rouge.

There was still no response from the white bat. Where was she? They had been knocking on her door for over five minutes!

"Are you sure she's home?" Sonic asked Amy.

The she-hedgehog nodded, "Yeah, I was talking with her on the phone not even an hour ago."

Shadow growled slightly. He was beginning to lose his patience with these fools. He should've just went to the Mayor's office by himself and asked what he wanted.

Sonic banged on her door one more time before giving up and turning around with a sigh, "I guess we'll have to do this without her."

Shadow merely let out a small "Hmph" before the three turned around and ran in the direction of the Mayor's office.

-

"Ah, good that you all have come," the Mayor drawled with a smile.

He was a rather plump man in a gray suit. His hair perfectly matched his attire and his sapphire blue eyes were very peaceful looking. The man's hands were folded neatly on top of his mahogany desk.

"Could you tell us why we were called here now?" Shadow snapped.

The Mayor nodded, ignoring the ultimate life form's rudeness, "Yes, of course."

The small man picked up a remote control and pointed it at a large television screen in the back of the room, with the screen flaring to life at the touch of a button.

Shadow, Amy, and Sonic turned around to look at the screen.

It showed several of Station Square's police force members in what looked like a desert-like environment. Waves of sand rolled through the air and the wind whistled furiously. There was no vegetation, nothing green at all. Just sand.

"Follow me," the officer of the group whispered, his M-4 raised in front of him.

The others softly nodded and followed the leader into a small cave opening just ahead, with the man who's camera was attached to his helmet staying behind.

There was a prolonged silence and the camera man shifted uncomfortably from time to time.

Suddenly, multiple sounds erupted from the cave, including the sound of gun fire and men screaming.

Just as sudden as it had happened, the sounds died down. The camera wavered slightly, obviously because the man with the camera was now uneasy, maybe even afraid.

Before he could even register what happened to his team, a large shadowed creature more than twice his size erupted from the cave, hidden by the darkness. The man barely had time to scream before the shadow covered the camera completely, with static erupting on the screen afterwards.

Amy put a hand to her mouth, hiding a small shriek, Sonic's eyes widened, and Shadow just stared nonchalantly at the screen.

"That was on a routine check-up mission at Painite Desert not too far from here," the Mayor explained, "We managed to recover the camera but found nothing of my men or even their equipment."

Shadow crossed his arms, still facing the screen, "So what do you want us to do?"

"Well," the Mayor sighed, rubbing his chin, "Since the lot of you have saved Station Square and even the planet on numerous occasions, I want you to assess and destroy this threat."

"And how will we do that?" Amy asked, still a little shook up over what she had just seen.

"We have the coordinates of the place where the soldiers were attacked and will head over there," a cool, seductive voice explained.

Sonic and Amy whirled around to see Rouge the Bat and Knuckles the Echidna hanging off the ceiling of the room upside down, their feet hooked onto a large rail. The two jumped down and landed with soft thuds, standing upright.

"When did you guys get here?" Amy asked.

"As soon as the video started," Shadow explained with a smirk. He had noticed the echidna's strange energy patters as soon as he entered the room and detected hints of Rouge's as well.

Strange as it was, the bat also had traces of Chaos energy within her.

Rogue smiled and winked at her dark companion, "As sharp as ever I see."

Shadow turned around at the compliment, giving the bat his full attention, "I see you've already brought the echidna."

Rouge nodded, "Yeah, the Mayor told me to get him as soon as you guys were informed of what was going on."

"You could've told us earlier!" Sonic complained in the background, throwing his hand into the air, "We banged on your door for five minutes!"

Shadow just glared at the bright red echidna, his ruby eyes burning with distaste. The ultimate life form wasn't all too fond of the guardian.

Knuckles closed his eyes and smirked, "I can see that you would rather do this without me, Shadow."

The midnight-colored hedgehog turned his head slightly to acknowledge the statement and smirked, "Not at all. After all, when we get attacked, we're going to need an easy target as a distraction."

Knuckles' smirk faded as his eyes snapped open, which were ignited in anger, "Hey! Just because your psychotic brother killed that Maria girl doesn't mean you"-

No one had even registered it or seen it coming, but less than a second after Knuckles had said the word "you", the red echidna was against the wall being held up by his neck by an enraged ultimate life form.

There was no faint burst of light giving away Chaos Control, not even a sound. Much to Sonic's surprise, the ultimate life form seemed to have improved in the speed department as well.

"Let me make something perfectly clear," Shadow hissed, his voice thickly coated in malice, his eyes filled with hate, "I have no reserve about killing you and if you ever mention that again, you will die."

Knuckles closed an eye in pain but managed to speak back, "Is that a threat?"

Shadow's glare darkened as he released his hold on Knuckles. The echidna slid to the floor with a grunt, grasping his throat, trying to greedily suck in oxygen into his crushed lungs.

"It's a promise," the crimson tainted hedgehog sneered before turning around to face a very stunned audience.

Shooting a glare into the direction of Rouge, Sonic, and Amy, the three immediately moved out of the dark hedgehog's way, totally stricken by fear and confusion.

Heading towards the door, Shadow stopped when he opened it, his back still facing the group, "As soon as you are done wasting my time, come outside so that we can leave."

The ultimate life form moved through the door and slammed it shut after he had spoken, literally rattling the entire office.

The Mayor's plump face fell into a frown, "My, my."

Amy frowned at Shadow's display of behavior, "What a jerk!"

Rouge stared at the door that the dark hedgehog had gone through silently, _'Shadow, what's happening to you?'_

Knuckles was back to his feet and livid. How dare that stupid black fur ball try and choke the life right out of him?

"Wait until I get my hands on him!" the red echidna roared, pounding the air with his large fists.

Sonic jumped in front of his friend, his hands up to try and calm down the rampaging warrior, "Whoa, cool it Knuckles, we're going to need Shadow's help on this one so try not to make him too mad!"

Knuckles scoffed, closing his amethyst eyes, "Whatever, just as long he stops being such an asshole."

Amy nodded and started ranting about Shadow's bad behavior, just as an overprotective mother would lecture her child, "I mean, I can't believe he would act like that..."

Rouge toned out the pink hedgehog. She wasn't mad at Shadow, she was concerned. That emotion was pretty clearly written on her face right now.

Sonic smiled dryly. He could see this wasn't going to end too well.

Author's Note- The heroes head out to Painite Desert in the next chapter to assess the new threat. Check back soon for chapter three!


	3. Confrontation with the Sand Demons

Author's Note: Shadow's personality change seems rushed but let me remind everyone that ten weeks passed since he learned about his brother. The story just wouldn't move along if I would write about those uneventfull weeks, so I just skipped them. I know Shadow might seem a little more bloodthirsty right now, but it'll all even out, as well as the plotholes I left** intentionally**.

Chapter 3- Confrontation with the Sand Demons

Vicious clouds of swirling brown sand relentlessly attacked five wandering heroes. Sure, it was a desert, but this wasn't really what they were expecting. Perhaps they had just come at a bad time, a time with a lot of sand storms. No, that sounded way too juvenile. There was always a ton of sand in the desert.

They hadn't expected nature to be so cruel and relentless to them. That was for sure.

Rouge closed her orbs of vision tightly as another gust attempted to blow more sand into her eyes. The bat was smart enough to bring a heavy cloak that gave her some form of protection from the elements. After all, when she had been a spy as long as she had been, one knew to prepare.

The others however, weren't so lucky...

Amy Rose was slowly trudging behind Sonic, her small form crouched behind the male hedgehog in an attempt to use him as a shield against the sand.

He was the bigger and stronger of the two, so it was only natural for him to protect her, right? Sonic had one eye closed, his other one open just barely enough to see where they were headed. Someone had to make sure that they were not walking blindly.

Knuckles, the crimson echidna, had both of his fists protectively against his face, also attempting to find some sort of cover from the sandstorm.

Shadow, who was holding the locating device, had both of his eyes open, glaring at the device as if it had said something about his mother, and was simply ignoring the pain that shot through his eyes every time the wind blew up more sand.

He had a reputation to keep, and he wasn't about to succumb to a little wind like this, especially in front of others.

"We should be arriving soon," Shadow called out to Sonic, who was ahead of every one else.

The azure hedgehog managed to look back and nod slightly, his quills and ears whipping around like a pair of empty plastic bags in a hurricane, before turning his one-eyed gaze back to the path ahead.

Rouge, who had heard Shadow talk for the first time since they had left, fell back a little to match strides with her dark companion.

The truth to be told, she was bored, extremely bored and she needed some way to pass the time. Besides, she had wanted to talk to Shadow for a while now concerning the ultimate life form's new thirst for revenge and power.

It was deeply disturbing her and frankly, she was concerned for his well-being. She decided to break the ice with an attempted conversation. Maybe it would ease things up a bit.

"Hi Shadow," the bat managed to mumble through the loud whistling of the surrounding wind.

'_Oh yeah, great conversation starter Rouge_,' the bat scolded herself afterwards, mentally slapping herself.

The ebony hedgehog looked up for a split second to acknowledge her presence but re-averted his gaze back towards the front.

The huntress looked down into the sand she was trudging in slightly, hurt flooding into her eyes. Why had he become so distant in such a short time?

Usually, he would stay at Club Rouge with her and open up, conversing with her but ever since this Mephiles revealed that he had a homicidal brother, he had stopped coming, he had even stopped talking to her.

"I wanted to ask you something," Rouge started slowly, once again attempting at a conversation.

Shadow kept his ruby eyes on the path but at least answered her this time, "What about?"

Rouge's spirits lifted slightly. At least he would still talk to her. Perhaps he wasn't a total outcast yet.

Fueled by her new inspiration, Rouge spoke again, "I wanted to ask you about why you haven't been staying with me at Club Rouge anymore."

Shadow eyed her, annoyance clearly present in those fiery orbs, "I thought you wanted to talk, not interrogate me."

The huntress' hopes started to die down again, but her sheer worry about the ultimate life form drove her on. Like a tap water drain turned up too high, the words spilled out of her mouth with not control, "You've become so distant from us, from me! Don't you care about us anymore?"

The dark hedgehog snapped around to face her with a dark glare, giving her his full attention, "Why do you care?"

"Because I'm your friend Shadow, we all are!" Rouge practically yelled, even though she was fully aware that they were in a less-than peaceful environment.

This wasn't the time or the place to give away their positions just because she was getting emotional.

But the response the dark hedgehog gave her almost caused tears to fall from her eyes, a sentence she thought he would never utter, or even think about uttering, a sentence that broke her heart.

"I appreciate all that you've done for me, but I don't need friends, and I don't need you."

He had said it with a dark glare, that was totally directed at the albino bat, his ruby eyes burning dangerously with anger and irritation.

Those words shot through her heart and mind like an arched, flaming arrow. Was everything they did together as friends shot down to hell because of this one white hedgehog? Did he really mean that?

Before the bat could even contemplate an answer, Shadow had moved on ahead of her, leaving the huntress walking by herself.

Rouge was too shocked to try and pursue him again. She felt cold and weak from rejection. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her. She looked up to see a sympathetic Knuckles smiling down at her.

"Don't worry about that," he assured her, "I'm sure he didn't mean it."

Rouge nodded softly as Knuckles removed his arms from her delicate body.

The thing was, even she didn't know whether the ultimate life form really meant that or not. He sure seemed convincing. Rouge wrapped her own arms around her form in an attempt to keep herself comfort.

Why were things like this? Hadn't they all been happy after Shadow returned? Somehow, the bat girl had a bad feeling about her future, and everybody else's as well.

She glanced up at the back of Shadow's stalking form before redirecting her hurt-filled eyes back to the harsh, bleak desert.

"The coordinates tell me that the location of the G.U.N. disappearance is over that hill," Shadow pointed out, directing his finger to a small sandy hill up ahead.

The others did not answer, for sheer fear that the malicious sand would bombard them again once their mouths opened and simply nodded. The trudge up the small hill took less than five minutes.

Shadow was the last to reach the top, where his group remained stationary.

Looking around, he observed a small dune of sand, a valley of the desert where the vicious sand storms would not reach. At the far end, farthest away from them, was the entrance to a small cave that seemed to lead underground, covered in shadows.

"That's where the soldiers were attacked, right?" Knuckles asked, breaking the silence looming over the group.

Sonic nodded at the red echidna as the five continued to stare.

"We should use scouts," the cerulean hero suggested, "Just in case those things that attacked the soldiers are still hanging around."

Shadow smirked and closed his eyes, "The moron is right for once, we should send two."

Sonic frowned, "Go play in traffic."

"Well?" Amy asked, still hiding behind Sonic to protect herself from the sandy wind, "Who should go?"

Shadow's eyes opened, his smirk still present on his tan face, "I'll go."

Knuckles stepped forward, "I'll go with him."

The ultimate life form's smirk disappeared as he slowly got into a running position, "Just make sure you don't get in my way, echidna."

Knuckles smirked as well, also getting into a running stance, "Back at ya, hedgehog."

The two looked at each other for a split second before taking off, both leaving behind clouds of thrown up sand.

Sonic sighed as he plopped himself down onto the soft sand, "I sure hope those two won't kill each other."

Amy squealed, the sudden absence of her hedgehog shield letting relentless waves of sand hit her tiny body.

"What did you that for Sonic?" the pink hedgehog screamed at her hero.

Rouge smiled and removed her cloak, wrapping it around Amy and seating both of them next to Sonic.

Her eyes were distant, alarming Amy.

The rose hedgehog looked at Rouge, worry overcoming her features, "Are you all right Rouge?"

The bat managed to smile weakly in response, "Yeah, I'm fine Amy."

-

The crimson and ebony ultimate life form stopped in front of the mouth of the cave, the sand he had thrown up rolling off his body and back from where it came onto the sandy ground.

A crimson echidna followed shortly afterwards, naturally not being fast enough to keep up with Shadow, but not slow at all by normal standards.

"Well echidna," Shadow began, catching Knuckles' attention, "Who should go in first?"

The Master Emerald guardian smiled and pounded one of his enormous fists against his chest, "I'll go, I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

Shadow smiled darkly in return, his voice coated in sarcasm as he spoke, "Just make sure you don't die, I wouldn't know what to tell the others of the great loss."

Knuckles chuckled slightly. So, the all powerful Shadow did have a sense of humor after all.

Focusing back onto the task at hand, the crimson echidna slowly began stepping into the cave. It was dry and humid, just like outside, although it was slightly cooler here. The emerald guardian stopped for a moment and motioned with the back of his hand for Shadow to enter.

The dark hedgehog also slowly entered the cave, coming up besides Knuckles. The duo continued to move through on the rather straight path that lead into darkness, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of enemies.

"It seems pretty safe," Knuckles whispered.

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions yet," Shadow retorted.

A small pebble slid down one of the larger boulders, immediately causing the two warriors to tense up for battle. The two remained stone still for a few seconds, letting only their eyes move around to try and spot any sign of danger.

Taking short breaths, Knuckles and Shadow relaxed their bodies.

Suddenly, and too fast for either to catch, a large shadow leaped forth from the darkness, ramming into Shadow and sending him flying five feet back, skidding in the sand before coming to a stop. Waves and dust rolled off his ebony body as he grunted out of pain.

Knuckles immediately jumped backwards next to his fallen companion in a fighting stance.

The crimson tainted hedgehog lept to his feet, ignoring the still present pain in his shoulder, and stared the attacker down with Knuckles.

Standing before the two, only visible by the dime light that was coming from outside, was some sort of sand creature. It resembled a humanoid in some way, being twice as tall as Shadow and Knuckles. Its figure was more bulky and muscular than a human though, which gave it a more intimidating appearance.

Two large horns split from the back of its head, going straight backwards at the same level of its head, a perfect ninety degree angle between the bottom of its neck and the log side of the horns.

It was colored in the same way as its surroundings, the color of sand. Virtually every part of it was a sandy brown, in fact, the creature looked like it was made only of sand. The only outstanding feature of the creature were two dull sapphire eyes that stared blankly and emotionlessly at the two intruders.

"Who the hell are you?" Knuckles yelled and questioned at the same time.

The strange sand creature gave no reply, but only continued to stare at the two heroes silently.

Shadow smirked, "Not too smart, eh?"

"Hey asshole! We're talking to you!" the red echidna yelled again.

This time, the creature's attention seemed to be caught. His head shifted to the side, lifeless blue eyes boring into Knuckles' violet ones.

Knuckles smirked, "Looks like we caught sandy's attention."

There was a small pause before it suddenly leaped at the two again. Shadow jumped high into the air to avoid the attack and Knuckles rolled out of the way.

Two thunderous thuds rang through the cave as the heavy creature landed, seemingly unaffected by the fact that it had missed its targets.

Shadow landed behind the creature and turned around, a bright yellow orb in his right hand, a dark smirk highlighting his face.

'_Now to see if this technique works as well as I hope,'_ the dark hedgehog thought as he began charging at the creature, who had only begun to turn around.

Shadow's hover shoes activated, causing the hedgehog to levitate off the ground slightly, the pressure of the shoes throwing up sand on both sides of the ebony hedgehog. The hand which contained the energy orb was straight behind the hedgehog, the brightly colored yellow orb giving off waves and crackles of energy.

The pressure and power of his footwear threw the sand around him into a golden-brown vortex. The light emitting from the orb dyed Shadow's upper body in a eerie golden light. The creature had barely registered the attack when Shadow was two feet away.

With a loud battle cry, Shadow's arm darted forward as he thrust the energy ball into the torso of the creature, "Chaos Spear!"

A second passed as everyone on the cave stayed completely motionless. Then, with a loud grunt from the creature, it exploded into a cascade of sand, drizzling over Knuckles and Shadow.

The dark hedgehog smiled triumphantly, standing back up straight.

Knuckles walked up to him and patted him on the back, "Nice move there, Shads."

Shadow eyed the echidna with irritation, he hated that ridiculous nick name!

The small victory was short-lived.

Before the two had time to recuperate, they heard multiple loud thumps from the less visible part of the cave. Three more creatures emerged from the darkness, all the same as the last.

"Shit," Knuckles cursed, getting into a fighting stance.

"That's not our only problem," Shadow noted.

Knuckles followed Shadow's gaze, his mouth open slightly in shock.

Out of the pile of sand that occupied the space where the first creature was, a clawed hand shot up, followed by an arm. The more parts of the creature reformed, the smaller the pile got, until it was completely gone and the creature completely revived.

"It revived itself?" Knuckles asked in shock.

"I hate to say this, but we must get back to the others for now," Shadow commented, already running towards the entrance. Knuckles growled and sped after the ultimate life form.

The four sand creatures remained completely silent, slowly trudging after the two heroes, their loud and heavy stomps ringing throughout the cave like the eerie gongs of a clock struck midnight.


	4. Elements of Sand

Chapter 4- Elements of Sand

"Damn," Knuckles cursed under his breath as he stopped to deliver a powerful punch to one of the following sand monsters.

The echidna delivered the blow right into the torso of the creature, momentarily immobilizing it. Knuckles withdrew his fist, sending more sand into the air, and ran into the direction of Sonic and the others, his arms waving loosely behind him.

The ultimate life form, who was running along side the echidna stopped.

The crimson warrior also stopped, giving Shadow a confused look, "What are you doing? They're too close!"

Shadow didn't seem to regard Knuckles, keeping his head towards the four approaching sand creatures, but spoke, "Go and tell the others of this threat, tell them to prepare. I'll catch up later."

Knuckles hesitated slightly but a glare from the dark hedgehog made him forcibly make up his mind. With one quick glance towards the creatures and a nod at Shadow, the echidna sprinted off into the direction of his friends.

Shadow watched the warrior go before focusing his gaze back upon the approaching creatures, which were only a couple of yards away.

Why hadn't they been destroyed when Shadow used his upgraded Chaos Spear? They must have some kind of regenerative ability, and the fact that they were located in a desert seemed to make things much worse than they already were.

Smirking confidently, the hedgehog began to glow a devilish crimson, a red that mirrored his eyes perfectly.

-

"Sonic," Knuckles called out frantically when he spotted something blue amidst the light brown desert.

The seemingly bored hero looked up slightly. Realizing it was his companion, the blue speed demon immediately jumped to his feet, catching Rouge's and Amy's attention as well.

"Knuckles," Sonic called back, running towards his friend, "Is everything all right? Where's Shadow?"

The echidna stopped in front of Sonic, breathing heavily. Sprinting just wasn't his thing.

"We encountered...some...enemies," Knuckles managed to explain between heavy drawn breaths, "They...seem to be...made out of sand...and...Shadow...stopped in order...to buy us some time."

Sonic looked back into the direction of which Knuckles came from. Rouge and Amy had been listening attentively to the conversation as well.

"We have to help him," Amy cried out.

Sonic gazed at the pink female hedgehog for a second before nodding with a smile, "Of course, I can't let Shadow get all the action in this mission."

With those confident words spoken, the blue hero dashed off into the direction of the stocked battle, leaving clouds of sand behind him.

Rouge took to the air, but stayed low to the ground in order to avoid damage from the sand, speeding after Sonic with Knuckles and Amy at her heels.

-

"Damn...it," Shadow cursed through ragged breaths.

He had hit every one of the four sand creatures with his full powered Chaos Blast, yet it seemed to have little to no effect. The blown off parts would just grow back every time he damaged them.

Raising his hands to eye level, Shadow concentrated his energy into his palms, causing them to glow a dull violet color.

"Chaos Nightmare," Shadow hissed, shooting the ball of energy towards the creature in the middle left, hitting it head on.

Smoke quickly arose from the point of impact. The other creatures did not move, even though their comrade had just been hit. In fact, they almost looked uninterested in the battle, not even moving to attack the black and red hedgehog before them.

The smoke slowly cleared to reveal a large pile of sand. Shadow continued breathing heavily, hoping that he had at least taken out one of the diabolical creatures.

His heart sank when the pile of condensed sand began to stir, the creature arising from it, almost like a zombie would return from the grave. The strange look in its sapphire eyes didn't help lessen the eerie feeling the dark hedgehog got either.

Suddenly and without warning, the four creatures simultaneously charged at Shadow, causing the dark hedgehog to jump high into the air in order to avoid the team tackle.

_'Shit, they were waiting until I was exhausted to attack me,_' the ultimate life form thought as he performed a back flip and landed behind the creatures, crouched in a pouncing position.

"How could I have been so stupid?" the dark hedgehog asked himself as the four creatures turned around, once again in complete unison.

Their eyes seemed to glow before they charged at him again.

"Sonic Wind," a foreign voice bellowed.

A large gust of blue wind stopped the creatures in their tracks, whipping up the sand in front of them as if to stand for a warning not to come any closer.

Sonic, Amy, Rouge, and Knuckles jumped to Shadow's side and immediately formed a protective circle around the ultimate life form.

Sonic had his hand raised to perform another Sonic Wind, Knuckles had his fists at the ready, Rouge had several small bombs between her fingers, and Amy was wielding her giant Piko Piko Hammer.

"Hm hm hm hm, what have we here?"

Shadow's eyes widened slightly as he felt an unfamiliar presence behind them.

"Behind us," the dark hedgehog yelled, causing everyone to temporarily ignore the sand demons and direct their gazes towards the source of the soft yet maniacal voice.

Standing at the mouth of the cave, most of his body still hidden under waves of darkness, was a hedgehog who's fur resembled the sand perfectly.

White gloves with steel plates covered his hands and dark brown boots covered his feet. He had the same fur-covered chest as Shadow, although he lacked the white chest fur that stuck out on the black hedgehog.

No part of his body was exposed, like Sonic's arms, it was all completely covered in fur.

His quill style almost mirrored Shadow's, but his quills were not pointed up like the dark hedgehog's, instead they hung down rather loosely, but not over his shoulders, so they were still elevated like Shadow's or Sonic's quills, not as loose as Knuckles'.

But the most striking part about the hedgehog were the piercing sapphire eyes that completely stood out from the rest of his body, and sanity itself.

"Who are you?" Amy questioned, tightening her grip on her weapon.

The hedgehog's piercing gaze fell upon the she-hedgehog, which caused Amy to back up slightly. The look that hedgehog was giving her seemed too evil to be normal.

The sand-colored hedgehog began chuckling evilly, "Now now, have you no manners, coming into someone else's home and asking them questions?"

"This isn't your home, freak," Sonic shouted, pointing a finger at the hedgehog.

The hedgehog chuckled again, "Yes it is, in fact, the entire desert belongs to me and is my home, that's why I had to get ride of those annoying soldiers snooping around here."

Knuckles' eyes widened, "It was you, you were the one that attacked G.U.N.!"

The hedgehog smiled darkly, causing shivers to go down everyone's spine, "Not directly, my friends here did that."

Shadow remained stone-faced, "So, you are the one that controls these creatures?"

"Creatures?" the hedgehog asked in an offended tone, "These are no creatures, they're my friends."

Sonic smirked, "Well your friends suck."

"Is that so?" the hedgehog asked in an amused tone.

While the two were talking, Shadow met Rouge's eyes for a split second. Without speaking a word, the ultimate life form made a request.

Tightening his right hand into a fist, Shadow curled it open as if wanting to nonverbally tell the bat about an explosion of some sorts. Rouge nodded, understanding perfectly what the obsidian hedgehog wanted and raised both her hands, which still held the miniature bombs.

Moving quicker than a hare, Rouge jumped into the air and began spinning around, resembling an ivory cyclone.

This caught the sand-colored hedgehog's attention slightly, "Decided to make the first move? Good, I was getting bored talking anyway."

Rouge smirked in her miniature cyclone and released the bombs from her hands all at once.

The explosives launched at the new hedgehog, who smirked slightly before the bombs collided with him, sending a loud explosive bang through the air and shooting up a huge cloud of dust, debris, and sand.

Rouge landed back on her feet in a crouched stance with a smile on her face.

Sonic smirked and gave the bat a thumbs up, "Nice job Rougey."

The huntress smiled back at the blue hedgehog, but what she was really hoping for was a smile, or even an acknowledgment from Shadow. The she-bat directed her gaze towards the ultimate life form for a second, seeing that his attention was still focused on the smoldering spot where the explosion just took place.

She didn't see what the point was, after all she had blown that hedgehog to smithereens.

...Or, so she thought.

The smoke cleared to reveal a sphere of vertical sand, which had taken all the damage of the attack.

Rouge's mouth dropped slightly. There was no way, how did that sand get into that shape around that hedgehog?

The sand sphere began to shift slightly, lowering back into the ground, mixing with the existing sand. There, without a scratch on him, was the sand-colored hedgehog, the same smirk he had worn before the attack still plastered on his face.

"How-How did he do that?" Amy stammered, fear present in her frail voice.

The hedgehog chuckled, "Is that the best you can do? Letting a woman fight your battles for you?"

"Who are you?" Shadow demanded, his voice hinted with a small coat of anger.

The hedgehog did not respond, only raised his hand slightly and pointed towards something behind the small group, "I believe you have forgotten something."

"Crap," Sonic snapped as he dodged a huge sandy fist. They had completely forgotten about the four sand creatures that still loomed there.

Shadow barely ducked under another huge fist aimed at his head.

With a battle cry, the black anti-hero dug his own fist into the monster's stomach, causing him to create a large dent in the creature, with his hand dug into it.

The monster suddenly started to move again as Shadow attempted to pull out his hand. He tugged harder the second time. It was stuck.

The dark hedgehog managed to look up slightly to see the colossal sand monster swing another fist at him. Shadow squeezed his eyes shut as the fist crashed against the side of his head, sending him flying across the sand. There was one pro to the attack though, his hand was now free.

Rolling backwards to slow down the skid, Shadow jumped to his feet, only to see the sapphire eyes staring intently at him.

Ruby-red eyes widened slightly as the hedgehog kneed him in the gut, making blood forcibly leak from the dark hedgehog's mouth.

"As for your question, dark hedgehog," the hedgehog whispered as Shadow bent over in pain, "I am Algos...of the Desert."

With the question answered, Algos reeled back and delivered a powerful kick to the side of Shadow's head, sending him flying into the sand, his body slightly submerged in it from the force he had hit it at.

"How about you fight with me, Algos?" Knuckles yelled as he leaped at the sand hedgehog.

The sand hedgehog regarded him with a small smirk as the echidna's fist came down to deliver a lethal blow to his head.

The crimson echidna's eyes widened to twice their size when a wall of sand erupted from the ground, protecting the hedgehog from his attack. The spikes on his fist caused Knuckles' hand to delve deep into the sand wall, creating a rippling effect reminiscent of a pebble that was thrown into a pond. The sand around his fist suddenly started stirring, latching itself onto Knuckles' arm like a coiling snake.

The warrior cried out in surprise as the sand began slinging the echidna around like a lasso.

When he had gained enough momentum, the Master Emerald guardian was released, taking the same trip Shadow just had and landing face first besides the dark hedgehog, completely motionless.

The wall of sand slowly retreated down into the ground, revealing yet again an unharmed Algos.

"Try to use that cheap stuff on me!" another voice yelled.

The sand-manipulating hedgehog didn't even turn or look back as a wall of sand erupted from behind him.

A loud thump was heard as Algos smirked slightly, "Having trouble, blue hedgehog? I thought you and your group would be more of a challenge than this."

"Shut up," Sonic spat as the sand wall lowered.

The blue hedgehog brushed off his failed attempt at a kick to the back of the head as Algos turned around to face him, sapphire eyes gleaming dangerously under the sun.

The blue-eyed hedgehog raised his hand slightly and motioned for Sonic to come to him, "Come, blue hedgehog."

Sonic smirked, "All right, bring it on!"

With those words bellowed, Sonic leaped at Algos, who stood there patiently waiting for the hedgehog to attack, arms crossed, white teeth shinning ferociously under the bright sun above in a confident and maniacal smile.


	5. Battle of the Desert

Chapter 5- Battle of the Desert

Sonic launched himself at the sand hedgehog with all the force he could muster, throwing his right fist out in front of him wildly. The blue hero closed his eyes and grit his teeth together to brace for the impact, in which he expected to meet skin.

The cerulean speed demon did come into contact with something, but it definitely wasn't skin.

Sonic opened his eyes to see a wall of condensed sand blocking his attack. Although his fist had created a large dent in the shield, it didn't budge an inch. He could hear Algos chuckling from the other side of the sand barrier.

"You are the famed hero Sonic, aren't you?" the sand manipulator asked, the sand wall sinking back into the ground with a rumble.

Sonic stood upright, drawing his fist back, ignoring the stinging pain in his hand, "Yeah, what's it to you?"

"Then," he began, tightening his hands into fists, the metal plates on them gleaming under the sun, "The people of this earth will weep once you're dead!"

Sonic immediately leaped a few feet back at the sand hedgehog's sudden threat, intent on keeping a good amount of distance between them.

Algos raised his hand into the air slowly, his cerulean eyes glaring down at the blue hedgehog standing as his opposition. Sonic tensed his body, adrenaline pumping though his veins, expecting a frontal attack from the sand manipulator.

The hero relaxed ever so slightly when Algos made no threating move towards him. But that split second of a lowered guard was all the blue-eyed menace needed and with a rumble, the ground under Sonic began to shift.

Before he even had a chance to look down, a large three hundred-sixty degree wall of sand shot up around his entire body like a giant Venus Fly Trap. And just like the deadly plant, the sand fell into itself, squeezing the body of the famed hero with incredible pressure.

Sonic cringed but managed to hold back a scream as the sand around him began to squeeze tighter by the second.

"Out of all the techniques I've developed," Algos sneered, looking up at Sonic wiggling in his sand prison in pain, "This one is by far my favorite! Desert Cage!"

Sonic screamed when he felt the sand around him beginning to squeeze with such a powerful force that he could've sworn he heard some of his bones grind into dust. He couldn't get out of this one, there was no way!

"Chaos Control!"

Algos' eyes widened for a split second before time and space itself shifted to stand completely still in a vivid display of purple.

Shadow, bruised and beaten, jumped on top of the sandy prison his comrade was trapped in, digging his fingers into the sides of the large Sand Cage technique.

Grabbing onto Sonic's quills, which were basically the only parts of him that were left exposed, next to his head, he yanked the hedgehog out with a mighty and furious pull. Both hero and anti-hero fell onto the desert ground, time speeding back up around them, caused by Shadow's lack of concentration to maintain the space-time rift.

"Yow!" Sonic yelled, grabbing his head, "Who pulled on my quills?"

"Shut up, moron," Shadow snapped airily, wearily standing back to his feet.

He had used too much energy already. If there was a Chaos Emerald around to amplify his powers, he could use more Chaos attacks but the dark hedgehog wanted to train in order to stop relying so heavily on the magical jewels.

Wiping some blood from his chin with the back of his gloved hand, the obsidian hedgehog sprung into an attacking position.

Algos shook his head, looking from his sand attack to the blue hedgehog, and then to the black one, "How was the blue one saved?"

"Don't worry about that now," Shadow declared, charging at the sand-colored foe, his hover shoes throwing up waves of sand around his speeding body, "I'm your opponent now!"

Algos' ghostly smirk reappeared on his face, "Very well, black hedgehog, let's see what you can do!"

-

Amy roared as she pounded her over-sized hammer onto the head of one of the four slow moving sand creatures she and her best friend Rouge were fighting. Even after all the hits they had delivered, the monsters showed no signs of weakening whatsoever.

Rouge breathed heavily as she jumped next to Amy, with the two females standing back-to-back against the four creatures that had surrounded them and were closing in.

"This isn't looking too good Amy," Rouge commented as she drew two more bombs from her spy-suit pocket.

She was almost out of her weapons and then she would have to resort to hand-to-hand combat with the creatures, a type of battle in which Shadow, Sonic, and Knuckles didn't do too well in either.

"Where are the guys?" Amy asked, "Why aren't they helping us fighting these things?"

"They're probably fighting that Algos guy," the ivory bat responded throwing a bomb at the head of the closest creature, causing it to collapse with a small explosion.

"Who?" the rosette hedgehog asked, slightly confused.

"The sand-colored hedgehog," Rouge replied. She was a bat after all, so her hearing was more than sharp to say the least. The huntress had clearly heard the sand hedgehog state his name to one of the guys, but she couldn't tell which one since he didn't talk back.

Amy nodded before charging back into battle, skillfully swinging her deadly and massive weapon.

-

Shadow growled out of frustration as another sand wall shot from the ground to block his punch. It had been like this the whole fight, he hadn't landed a single blow, and he had to be heedful as to not get caught in the same technique Sonic was in earlier.

"Hey Shadow, need some help?" Sonic asked, jumping beside the ultimate life form in a battle stance.

"There's no need," Shadow replied, gathering a Chaos Spear in his hand, "I have it under control."

Sonic frowned. He knew Shadow was exhausted but the dark hedgehog was just too damn stubborn to admit it. Pride would be his downfall one day. That, or his sudden thirst for power.

"Hold it Shadow," Sonic called, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Shadow snapped around, clearly irritated that the cerulean hedgehog was interrupting him, "What?"

The world-renowned hero smirked, "How about we use the Light Speed attack?"

There was a small pause as the dark hedgehog contemplated the new plan. Of course, why hadn't he thought of it? With massive amounts of speed, they were sure to get through that barrier of sand. But how that moron figured that out was beyond the ultimate life form. Perhaps he wasn't so stupid after all.

The Chaos Spear in the ebony hedgehog's hand disappeared as he smirked back, "You never cease to surprise me."

Sonic smiled, getting into a running position. That phrase brought back memories.

_Flashback_

"_You never cease to surprise me blue hedgehog," Shadow said coolly as he came up behind Sonic, "I thought that capsule you were in exploded in space."_

_Sonic shrugged, jogging alongside his nemesis, "Yeah well, what can I say, I die hard!"_

_End Flashback _

"You go right," Sonic commanded as Shadow nodded, also getting into a running stance, his air shoes flaring to life, making him hover above the ground. Wisps of sand flew into the air, lashing against the ground like the tentacles of an octopus.

Algos folded his arms, his look impatient, "Are you two going to fight, or chat all day?"

Sonic smirked, "Oh, we'll fight! **Now**!"

As soon as the blue hedgehog bellowed those words, he and Shadow took off, circling around Argos, who had raised his sand to protect himself from an attack.

The hedgehog duo kept circling around and around, creating giant gusts of wind all around the area, mixing with the sand and creating a cyclone of sand that shot up and encircled Algos and the two running heroes.

A sudden, unseen, blow from behind made Algos' eyes widen. He turned around to look at the source of the attack when another attack boomed from in front.

The sand hedgehog turned around again only to hear two blows coming from the sides, ones that were very close. So close, he could feel the wind the fists created as they barely missed his body.

Two simultaneous booms echoed through the air as Shadow and Sonic both broke the sound barrier. More assaults came from the two heroes, causing the stationary Algos to whirl everywhere to try and find the source of the attacks.

The attacks, whether punches, kicks, or both started to speed up and double in number, sounding like a machine gun was being fired from all the consecutive booms that rang through the air every time Sonic or Shadow attempted a punch at Algos.

The blue and black flashes suddenly disappeared, startling the sand-manipulating hedgehog and causing him to gasp slightly.

"Pay attention," a voice sneered from right below Algos.

Algos' eyes widened to double their original size as Shadow kicked him right in the chin, sending the sand user flying high up into the air as the sand cyclone around him dispersed as well as the sand shield he had summoned in vain.

Algos cringed, he was never hit that hard before!

Usually the sand was always there to protect him, so no one had even come close to damaging him seriously, yet these two hedgehogs had done it.

"No time to daydream!" Sonic shouted above the hedgehog, spinning forward and coming down with the heel of his foot right onto the forehead of the sand hedgehog.

With a burst of air, Algos began plummeting to the ground and would have hit with tremendous force had Shadow not jumped up beside him and punched him straight into the stomach, causing the sand manipulating hedgehog to cough up blood, and sending him flying back into the direction of Sonic.

"Time for the grand finale!" Sonic shouted as both he and Shadow appeared above him, both bringing down their legs straight into his chest.

Algos' pupils shrunk to the size of pinpoints as he spiraled down to the earth below with a burst of invisible air.

"Now Knuckles!" Sonic yelled, him and Shadow both dropping back to the ground.

A revived red echidna suddenly jumped above Algos and drove his fist straight into his stomach.

'_That fool was still alive?_' the sand hedgehog asked himself in his mind, bewildered by his sudden appearance.

Not only did this increase Algos' velocity, but it sent him flying into another direction, a direction that had a large cave opening as its end station.

With waves of sand thrown up, the hedgehog collided with the cave. Rumbles and cracks shot through the air like arrows before the cave opening collapsed from the sudden damage it had taken, coming down on Algos and burying him.

Sonic smirked as Knuckles dropped next to him and Shadow, "Nice job man."

-

"What the?" Amy exclaimed as the four sand monsters crumbled down onto the ground into a pile of sand, not stirring or reviving at all.

"I guess they defeated that Algos guy," Rouge commented, dusting her suit off and pocketing her remaining bombs.

"Should we go check on them?" the pink hedgehog asked, her tiny voice laced with concern.

The albino bat nodded and took off, running alongside the pink hedgehog towards the larger battle that had taken place.

-

"Sonic," Amy called as she hugged her hero from behind, "Are you all right?"

Sonic smiled and nodded, "Yeah, we're fine."

"That was one tough guy though," Knuckles commented through heavy pants, sitting on the ground, similar to an Indian.

"Well, at least it's over," Rouge replied, looking at Shadow, who stood facing away from the group, looking at the mound of rocks Algos was buried under.

A sudden noise made everyone's eyes widen, a noise that came from the direction of which Algos was, supposedly, defeated.

The ultimate life form's eyes narrowed. He knew it wasn't going to be that easy. A blast of sand and dust hurled through the air, bringing the heroes into defensive stances.

It cleared after a few seconds to show a large pile of sand, rocks, and other debris. To everyone's shock, the sand started to stir, then to shake, and finally to rumble.

Out of the top rose a figure, a figure that rose as if it was returning from the grave, a grave of sand. It's back was arched and its arms hung loosely at its sides. Sand rolled of its back as cerulean blue eyes shined through the brown environment, eyes that beheld hate, and a maniacal gleam.

"How could he have survived your attacks?" Amy asked in shock, her hands quivering around the handle of her hammer.

Shadow already stood in position to launch his next attack, his left hand grasping his right wrist.

The desert monster stood upright, some sand still falling from its sides, "Hm hm hm, so that's what it feels like to have a worthy opponent, someone to fight all-out with. I must say I'm impressed."

Sonic's eyes widened slightly, "He's never fought anyone on his level before?"

There was no way, this guy looked to be the same age as Knuckles or himself. There was no way one wouldn't fight evenly with someone else in that period of time.

"You are the first to fight with me evenly, and it entertains me greatly," Algos continued as he stepped out of the pile of debris from which he had just risen.

The sand hedgehog continued to walk towards the group, his stride powerful and fearsome, "As a reward, I will fight you all to my full extent, something I have never done."

Shadow grit his teeth, charging up a Chaos Spear in his clasped hand. This guy was really starting to piss him off!

Bright yellow energy sparked within his hand, illuminating the dark hedgehog's upper body and face.

Algos regarded the hedgehog in amusement, "What do you think that will do, dark hedgehog?"

Shadow smirked, "Rip you open."

And with those words, the ultimate life form sped towards the sand-colored hedgehog, who continued to smile darkly, not moving an inch away from Shadow's warpath.

Releasing a battle cry from his chest, Shadow's Chaos Spear arm darted forward towards Algos' face. Before his attack could reach the sand hedgehog however, a thick wall of sand blocked the attack.

'_Just as I expected_,' the crimson-tainted hedgehog thought, a small smirk present on his tan face.

Shifting his feet to the left, the ultimate life from suddenly disappeared, his body seemingly dispersing into multiple lines.

Algos' eyes widened for a second before a hard blow caught him in the back of the head.

The cerulean-eyed hedgehog stumbled forward slightly from the hit and turned into the direction from where it came from, only to find nothing there.

Another hit came, this time from the left, also catching the sand hedgehog by surprise, with the expense of that being him taking the full force of Shadow's kick.

The sand manipulator growled, raising his arms up, as if praying to some higher power to lend him strength, which in turn summoned a sphere of sand around him. Algos could hear two more hits striking the sand barrier before silence washed over. It seemed as if Shadow had given up for the time being.

This is what Algos thought as well, had it not been for a low-voiced, continuous growl emerging from the other side of the sand barrier.

At that exact second, Algos realized his mistake, he was not sealed off completely, the top of the sand barrier was completely exposed!

Before he could react, he saw Shadow leap into the opening, a glowing energy orb in each hand. Making a desperate last attempt, the cerulean-eyed hedgehog stretched out his arm, causing a funnel of sand to dart at the approaching dark hedgehog.

Shadow managed to swerve out of the way of the attack, with it barely clipping his right shoulder. Ignoring the sharp, stinging pain, the dark hedgehog smirked, landing right beside the bewildered Algos.

"Chaos..." Shadow bellowed, pointing both orbs at his new foe,"...**Barrage**!"

The two orbs in his hands began to spawn multiple small but harmful energy blasts, all flying directly at Algos. His sapphire eyes widened before they were covered under the rain of the attack, along with the rest of his body.

The dark hedgehog continued the assault for as long as he could before the blasts started waning in number, before stopping completely. Shadow collapsed onto his knees, holding his injured shoulder, which was oozing out blood. That last attack had taken much more out of him than he thought.

He wished he would have had more time to train with it, since it was relatively new and his body wasn't really used to it yet. But it seemed, that at least, the sand hedgehog was down for the count.

The ebony hedgehog managed to smirk again, seeing dust and sand still rise up from the spot where Algos used to stand.

The sand sphere collapsed, causing some sand to spray on Shadow's face, a minor inconvenience which he ignored. When the smoke cleared, his smirk, along with his hope for winning, instantly faded.

Instead of Algos, one of his monstrous sand creatures stood at the spot at which Shadow had fired.

"How?" Shadow mumbled, wide-eyed.

The sand creature collapsed into a heap of loose sand.

Shadow immediately scanned the area for Algos, unaware that he was rising out of the sand right behind him. Sand rolled of his body, his cerulean eyes gleaming menacingly.

"Shadow!" Sonic screamed before running towards his near-beaten companion. He was sure Shadow took that creep out with that last attack, how had he been able to avoid it?

The blue hedgehog tried valiantly to reach his friend before Algos could deliver the killing blow.

Shadow took notice of Sonic's scream and also aided by the shadow looming above him, knew that the sand hedgehog was behind him. Hearing a whoosh, the dark hedgehog ducked in time to see a fist whizzing by over head.

Algos growled slightly. He didn't have time to wined up for another hard hit like the one he had just missed.

Jumping back, Algos brushed some loose sand from his fur, watching as Sonic skid to the ground next to Shadow, supporting his dark friend by the shoulders.

"You all right man?" Sonic asked.

Shadow coughed up some blood in response, only turning slightly to look at Algos. Sonic helped him, since his body wasn't able to maneuver to its full extent in the ultimate life form's current state.

"How did you avoid my attack?" Shadow asked, dumb-struck.

The sand manipulating hedgehog smirked, "Did you think I was just twiddling my thumbs in that sand barrier, waiting for your attack?"

Shadow growled. He had been out-smarted by the sand hedgehog.

Algos took notice of the ultimate life form's reaction and smirked triumphantly,"I managed to slip away under the sand and replace myself with one of my sand creatures, making it look exactly like myself. You were too caught up in the thrill of victory to notice, so, as a cost, you wasted all of your energy!"

"Shut the hell up," Shadow spat. He looked up at Sonic, "Let me go!"

The blue hero shook his head solemnly, "No way man, I'll take it from here."

"What?" the dark one hissed, his voice covered in malice and irritation.

Sonic gave him one of his famous, flashy smiles as a reassurance, "Don't worry Shads, I'll take care of this creep!"

Shadow smirked, standing up, but wobbling slightly, "Fine, but don't mess this up you moron."

The blue wonder gave him a thumbs-up, "Count on it!"

The obsidian hedgehog smirked in response and began limping weakly back to Rouge, Knuckles, and Amy, all of whom were still resting.

Sonic turned to Algos, his smile gone, emerald eyes aflame with anxiety and impatience, "Let's go!"


	6. Algos' Hidden Strength

Chapter 6- Algos' Hidden Strength

Sonic cursed as a large wave of sand was thrown his way, courtesy of Algos. Managing to evade the attack, the sea-mimicking speed demon ran forward, his path clearly shown by deep footsteps engraved in the loose and deep sand.

Algos' eyes glinted for a split second before his arm shot up, summoning a cylinder of sand right below the approaching hedgehog's feet.

Sonic yelped out of surprise as the cylinder shot him high into the air. Cursing to himself, the azure hedgehog performed a simple back flip and landed on his feet. The cylinder sunk back into the ground soon after the blue hedgehog landed, but the one who had summoned it was nowhere to be seen.

Looking around to find his enemy, his green hues widened slightly when he found that Algos had disappeared. Hearing a soft rumble from behind him, the blue hedgehog rolled out of the way, just to see a hardened sand spear whiz by, hitting the ground and tossing up more sand all around Sonic.

Looking back towards the source of the attack, he saw Algos with another sand spear in hand. Smirking, the cerulean hued hedgehog threw the spear directly at Sonic with a mighty heave.

The blue hedgehog ducked just in time, the spear brazing by overhead and hitting nothing but sand once again. Looking up, Sonic's eyes widened to see Algos right in front of him.

'_Fast_!'

Before the sea blue hedgehog had a chance to react, Algos' hand shot forward, clasping itself around his throat.

Choking for air, Sonic's eyes widened as the desert hedgehog effortlessly lifted him off the ground, holding him up to eye level, his azure eyes completely stoic, "You're suppose to be the hero that saved this planet so many times? How disappointing."

Sonic grunted in response. Algos narrowed his eyes, increasing the pressure so that the blue hedgehog in his grasp started turning blue in the face.

"You always use those miracle gems to pull out of sticky situations, don't you?" Algos asked, sand beginning to swirl around Sonic like a sea of twisting anacondas, "But without them, you're completely useless!"

The sand shot suddenly shot up and clasped itself around Sonic's wheezing form. Algos released his grip, the hand he had used to chock Sonic now in front of him, open palmed.

"This time there will be no more interruptions, Sonic the Hedgehog," the sand manipulator deadpanned with a cold smirk.

The all too familiar sand began to increase its pressure around his body, making Sonic yell out in pain.

Algos closed his eyes, "Goodbye, Sonic."

With those final words spoke, Algos snapped his hand shut into a fist, "Desert Cage!"

"Chaos Spear!"

Algos' cobalt eyes widened as the familiar name of an attack he knew all too well was called upon.

Turning around to check on his caged enemy, he gritted his teeth to see a black and red hedgehog standing above the blue one he was just about to kill.

"You've given me time to recover," Shadow began, his eyes glowing a hellish red, "Big mistake!"

Algos growled as he jumped back form the imposing hedgehog a few yards, his arms coming up to summon a protective cocoon of sand around him. Shadow smiled darkly. Just as he was expecting.

With one last look towards Sonic to make sure he wasn't dead yet, the ultimate life form took off towards the sand sphere, his whole body now glowing a bright crimson. Jumping on top of the sand cocoon, Shadow smirked.

Now was the time to see if his improved Chaos Blast had the effect he wanted. Placing both hands on the top of the cold sand, the obsidian hedgehog channeled all the energy of the full body Chaos attack into his arms.

Both of his arms began to glow with clearly visible red energy, sending waves and crackled throughout the air. Sending the last of the deadly attack into both of his arms completely, the dark hedgehog completed his attack.

"**Chaos Blast**!"

The bloody red energy shot down Shadow's arms, much like color is drained from an object, and straight onto the sand sphere, calling forth a huge cloud of debris and sand accompanied by a loud explosive sound.

Back flipping, Shadow landed in a crouched position, more than ready to deliver his next attack if necessary.

The smoke and dust cleared to reveal the sand barrier completely destroyed, and amidst it all stood Algos, his right shoulder gushing out a metallic crimson liquid; blood. One of his gloved hands was over his wounded shoulder, gripping it tightly to prevent anymore blood from leaving his body.

The sand colored one spat out some blood, finding the taste to be repulsive, "You shall pay for spilling my blood, black hedgehog!"

Shadow smirked confidently and jumped high into the air from his crouched stance, gathering a violet energy ball in his left hand.

With narrowed eyes, the ultimate life form dove towards the wounded Algos, the hand containing the violet sphere stretched out behind him. The sand manipulator smirked before using his left arms to summon a wall of sand before him at the angle Shadow was coming from.

The dark hedgehog cursed before landing on top of the barrier, jumping off it immediately after he had landed, and for good reason too as a small ripple of sand waved on the spot which his feet had just touched.

With the amethyst orb still in hand, the black and red hedgehog darted to the left just as a funnel of sand exploded from where he just stood. Increasing his speed, more funnels shot up from beneath the sand, making Shadow's trail obvious.

Algos grimaced in pain for a split second, his wounded shoulder burning with white, hot, searing pain.

This split second was enough for Shadow however as he re-directed his path, heading straight towards the seemingly defenseless Algos. Looking up, the sand hedgehog saw the impending danger and summoned another sand funnel, one which missed Shadow's body by mere inches.

The ultimate life form smirked, he was right in front of Algos! With his arm reeled back and his ruby eyes wide, Shadow's attack arm darted forward.

Seconds before impact, Shadow stopped, frozen in place, the violet orb swirling right in front of Algos' face, highlighting it with eerie purple light and making him look much more sinister.

"What?" he asked in confusion, looking down on his feet. To his shock, they were trapped in two miniature sand spheres, his shoes and the lower parts of his legs were completely submerged in the condensed sand.

Algos smirked as he back-handed the bewildered Shadow in the face, causing him to lose his concentration, the Chaos Nightmare he had been waiting to deliver disappearing with a few more crackles of energy.

"How idiotic," Algos commented, slapping Shadow in the face again, only this time with his palm, "Falling for such a simple trap."

Another slap.

"You're suppose to be the ultimate life form, are you not?" Algos asked in amusement.

Another slap, this time harder than the second.

"I know all about you, Shadow. You're pathetic, crying and complaining about your past, about your hell."

Another slap, more powerful than the last.

"You know nothing of hell!"

_Flashback_

"_...Experiment 4586, vital status."_

"_...In tact sir."_

"_...Brain wave patters?"_

"_...They're searching."_

"_...Good, release him now!"_

"_...Understood!"_

_A large glass tube slowly lifted off the ground, neon green liquid spilling from it and running off into large drains set up all around the tube. Through the dimly light room, a figure could be seen as clear as day, a hedgehog figure, one with sand colored fur and glazed over cerulean eyes._

_It was a young male hedgehog, no more than seven years of age going by his physical appearance._

"_4586, rise to your feet!"_

_The loud commanding voice of a gruff male awoke the young one from his dark slumber._

"_Wh-Whe-Where?" the young one managed to choke out, spitting some of the green liquid that had been in his body onto the metallic floor._

"_In a top secret research facility controlled by G.U.N.," another voice replied, this time a gentler, female voice._

_Blue eyes widened slightly, "G-G.U-G.U.N.?"_

_End Flashback_

"The pain I've gone through isn't fathomable to a creature like you!" Algos roared as he punched Shadow in the gut, causing the ultimate life form to wince and cough up some blood.

"Shut up," Shadow spat in a low, venomous voice, his head dipped low from the previous attack, "Do not compare yourself to me! Do not speak of things which you know nothing about!"

Algos smirked slightly, "There you go again, crying of how G.U.N. killed your family.

"It wasn't G.U.N. you homicidal freak! It was my brother! My own brother!" Shadow shot back angrily.

Algos' expression remained stoic, "So what? What does that mean to you? Revenge, perhaps?"

The black and red hedgehog looked up, his garnet eyes sparking with hate and anger, "You're _damn _right, and I'll warm up with killing you!"

Algos' eyes widened as a purple energy began radiating off Shadow's left hand.

'_He's recharging his attack_!'

In a last minute attempt to escape the attack, the sand hedgehog tried to leap back a few feet.

"Too late!" Shadow bellowed, shooting the violet orb directly at Argos and hitting him dead on. Waves of purple energy and smoke rolled off his body as the sheer force of the attack sent the desert hedgehog flying backwards.

Shadow sighed in relief and stomped out of the two miniature sand prisons, only to be greeted by a familiar smile accompanied by green eyes.

"Having trouble there Shadow?" Sonic asked.

"Don't kid yourself, moron," Shadow spat, getting into a battle stance.

The azure hedgehog shrugged, ignoring the cold stab in his companion's voice, "Do you need my help?"

Shadow eyed him in annoyance, "Do you have something better to do?"

Sonic smiled wickedly, "I was hoping you'd say that!"

Out of the corner of his eye, the ultimate life form noticed Algos rising to his feet about two hundred yards away.

"Do you have a suitable attack, one besides that Sonic Wind?" the ebony hedgehog asked.

The blue hedgehog put a finger to his chin, "Well, yeah, there is one, but I was hoping to save it for when we fight again."

"This isn't a time to be holding anything back!" Shadow snapped angrily.

Sonic sighed in defeat, "Fine, fine, but when this is over, you have to promise me a match against you, Shadow."

The ultimate life form smirked, "Count on it."

Nodding at Sonic, Shadow jumped back a few feet to allow the hedgehog some space, as he had no idea what attack he would be using so it was in his best interest to steer clear.

Holding his right hand open-palmed in front of him, Sonic's brows furrowed as he began concentrating energy into it.

Soon, a light blue energy sparked to life within the hedgehog's hand, beginning to look like a Sonic Wind before manifesting itself until it grew into a large sphere, about the size of Shadow's Chaos Spear, only unlike the ultimate life form's attack, Sonic's orb wasn't giving off an abundant amount of energy sparks and light, but seemed to be swirling, like a miniature hurricane.

This was it, his new attack. It was an improved Sonic Wind, one much more deadlier than its predecessor. Instead of sending a wave of energy out, he concentrated it into a orb instead. It was his perfect technique.

With a small smile, Sonic's hand stretched out behind him as he took off, dust and sand flying up behind him and onto a shocked black and red hedgehog.

_'When did he learn such an attack? It's similar to my new Chaos Spear!'_

Algos, in the mean time, was standing up straight again, more than aware of the blue hedgehog's approach. Growling to himself, the sand manipulator summoned a large wall of hardened sand in front of him for protection.

'_Now all I have to do is wait, if he alters his course, he'll lose speed and I'll be able to catch him,'_ Algos thought slyly.

Sonic's eyes turned into slits at the sight of the sand wall being summoned. With a loud battle cry, the hero's speed increased so that he was going double as fast as he was before. Green eyes widened in anxiety, and fueled by pure adrenaline, Sonic's right arm darted forward and pierced into the sand wall, completely shattering it as if it were nothing but glass.

Shock overcame Algos' features as neither Sonic's attack nor his run weakened or broke at all. The blue energy orb was still headed straight for him!

With one final leap, Sonic was in front of the sand manipulator and with all the momentum he had accumulated during his run, thrust the attack straight into Algos' chest.

"**Shining Lance**!"

The icy blue light of the attack overshadowed both Algos' and Sonic's features as the attack crashed into the desert hedgehog's exposed chest.

With the sand hedgehog's stubborn feet still planted firmly into the ground, Sonic's mighty attack sent him flying backwards, his feet leaving two long, skinny trails burrowed into the sand.

The wind whizzed by Algos' ears as he continued flying until finally hitting a large, sand covered boulder, completely destroying it and sending up a cloud of thrown up sand. The boulder collapsed into itself from the force of the impact with a loud rumble, burying Algos with it.

Sonic smiled slightly as he lowered his hand, Shadow appearing right beside him in a flash of Chaos Control with a bewildered expression.

"When did you learn that technique?" the ultimate life form asked, more if so demanded.

The green-hued hero smiled at his dark and violent counterpart, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Answer me!" Shadow barked.

Sonic chuckled, he was so easy to piss off!

The ultimate life form folded his arms with grit teeth, "Whatever, it will do no good against me."

"**You're both dead**!"

In an instant, both red and green eyes switched over to the location of Algos' supposed burial spot.

Sonic's eyes widened as the silhouette of a hedgehog rose from the rubble with an arched back, his arms dangling loosely in front of him. There was no way! He hit him with his best move!

Surely enough though, the mysterious sand hedgehog was still very much alive, however there was something strange about him.

"What happened to him?" Shadow asked, his eyes just as wide as Sonic's.

Algos' body continued to remain slouched, but there was a substantial difference in his outward appearance. A light brown colored energy surrounded him, outlining his body perfectly to the fingertip.

It seemed like some sort of shield since it not only outlined him, but covered his body completely, sort of like a shell, a see-through one that is. Slowly, waves of the same light brown energy rolled off the main shield, giving the hedgehog the appearance that he was steaming.

"_Control him! He's gone psychotic!"_

"_Bring in the guards! Bring in the guards!"_

"_...Kill him!"_

Algos' canines had also increased substantially, since they were now at the point where they could no longer be contained within his mouth, giving the sand hedgehog a demonic appearance. But the most startling fact about his transformation was that all his wounds had been healed.

Lifting one foot out of what was suppose to be his grave, the hedgehog gave off a low, beastly growl, one that made the hairs stand up on the backs of the two opposing hedgehogs.

"What the hell?" Shadow asked in confusion once again as Algos lifted his other foot out of the rubble, his body crouched like a beast.

The shield continued to give off waves of energy, shifting around Algos' body, while still detaining his outline, but giving the shield a sand-mimicking appearance, sand that was tossed up and moved by the wind.

Before Shadow or Sonic had time to evaluate the situation properly, the deranged hedgehog let out a loud, primal yell, mimicking an animal.

With wide, blood shot cerulean eyes that lusted to see blood be spilled, the newly transformed Algos charged at Shadow and Sonic on all fours, giving him the appearance of a fight-crazed lion, only much, much more sinister.


	7. Sonic's Resolution

Author's Note: Although it may seem like I fashioned Algos after that crazy red-head from Naruto, I actually got inspired for this character by Spiderman 3's badass new villain: the Sandman. So yeah, just a little info about that. Anyway, this chapter will conclude the fight with Algos, so I hope everyone likes it!

Chapter 7- Sonic's Resolution

Sonic and Shadow both jumped high into the air as the animalistic Algos ran by, his hands which were outlined by claws courtesy of the new sand shield just barely missing them both. Waves and clouds of sand flew into the air by the desert hedgehog's sudden charge.

With another primal roar, Algos leaped into the air after the two hedgehogs, his clawed hands drawn.

With wide eyes, Shadow managed to Chaos Control out of the way of the monstrous hedgehog, while Sonic simply evaded the attack by shifting his body to the right. Landing, the ultimate life form smirked when he saw that Algos' back was turned to him, he was totally focused on Sonic!

Drawing upon the raw power within his being, the dark hedgehog summoned a violet orb of rotating energy within his right hand. Bending his knees, Shadow jumped straight for Algos, who was still supposedly unaware of the crimson marked hedgehog.

"Chaos Nightmare!" Shadow shouted, launching the orb from his hand as if throwing a baseball.

The orb shot out at break-neck speed and was mere inches away from Algos' body. It was cut short by a large vertical wall of sand that suddenly shot from the ground and absorbed the attack, causing the shield to fall, but having done its job nonetheless.

Shadow cursed as he landed on the ground, not only did the attack miss, but Algos was fully aware of his presence now. Sonic also landed on the ground, standing opposite of Shadow.

With a loud crash, the beastly Algos also touched ground, but unlike the two heroes, he landed on all fours. Icy blue eyes focused on Shadow as white shimmering teeth grit with incredible force, his canines overlapping his other teeth.

"**Die, black hedgehog**!"

In less than a second, Algos sprinted off after Shadow, but he was bipedal this time, his two arms simply lashing about behind him.

The dark hedgehog knew Algos' strange new power was too much for him, or Sonic to handle, account of the fact that they were both still drained from the previous parts of the fight. In mid-sprint, Algos' right arm shot up, much to Shadow's surprise.

Sonic's emerald eyes narrowed, he knew what he was doing! Sprinting off, the blue hedgehog desperately tried to reach his dark counterpart.

Shadow's acute ears picked up the faint sound of a rumble from beneath him as he jumped out of the way out of pure instinct, and for good reason too, as a sand cylinder exploded right where he had previously stood. Algos' beastly mouth contorted into an unnatural smirk as he stopped running and raised his left hand.

A large shadow fell over the ultimate life form as his ruby eyes widened, he was being attacked from behind! Turning around, Shadow gasped out of surprise when he saw a large wave of sand, mimicking those in the ocean, about to swallow him whole.

"Chaos Control!" the ultimate life form shouted, disappearing from the spot in a soft red flash of light, reappearing behind Algos.

With a loud battle cry, Shadow darted forward, his right fist extended, aiming for the back of Algos' head.

Bloody red eyes widened when the sand manipulator swerved out of the way of the attack with ease, pivoting his left foot, and driving his knee deep into Shadow's gut, all in one fluid motion. Clots of blood sprayed forth from Shadow's mouth as his eyes widened in pain.

"Shadow!" Sonic yelled in outrage of his friend's injury.

Algos removed the knee from Shadow's stomach and punched him in the jaw with incredible force, sending the ebony hedgehog flying twenty feet back and landing in a pile of hot sand.

"Shadow!" a female voice called out.

Sonic slowly turned around, his green eyes wide at the sound of the new voice. No, it was too dangerous here for them! But, to the hedgehog's dismay, Rouge, Amy, and Knuckles were all running towards them, looking more than ready to do battle against the sand monster.

"Get out of here!" Sonic commanded, his eyes never leaving Algos' form.

The trio stopped in surprise.

"What? Why?" Amy asked in confusion.

A bead of sweat ran down Sonic's face, he couldn't let them fight him, he would kill them, and Knuckles was still too injured from the beating he took earlier. One could tell by the way the echidna was holding his side, his left eye closed in pain, but refusing to let it show.

"Get the hell outta here!" the azure hero repeated, his voice anxious and fear-stricken.

"**Fools, you will all die**!"

Sonic turned around to face the sand demon, jumping protectively in front of the group. Shadow had also lifted his body out of the sand during the short conversation, appearing besides Sonic in a flash of crimson light.

"His power has increased substantially," Shadow informed in a low voice.

"Yeah, I know," Sonic responded, his voice also very low.

"Did you bring the Chaos Emeralds?" the ultimate life form questioned, his eyes remaining fixed upon Algos, who just stood there in a ghostly stance, his whole body crouched like an animal.

Sonic smiled weakly, "We only have two with us."

The dark hedgehog growled slightly, it would have been so much easier with all seven.

"Sonic," Shadow began, getting into a running stance, "I'll hold him off, you rest and replenish you power with the two emeralds, then you can take him out."

Sonic's eyes widened in surprise, "Shadow! You can't fight that guy by yourself!"

The ebony hedgehog smirked, "You seem to be forgetting that I'm the ultimate life form."

Before Sonic could protest again, his counterpart took off, heading directly towards Algos, whose eyes were gleaming menacingly with blood lust.

-

Sonic contemplated about going after Shadow, but he decided to honor the dark hedgehog's wish, so, following his instructions, Sonic pulled out a dark, sea blue emerald.

With a small smile, the azure hedgehog ran towards Knuckles, who was in possession of the second emerald.

-

Shadow roared, his tired body being fueled by nothing but pure adrenaline.

The dark hedgehog's right hand contained a large yellow orb that was giving off waves and crackles of energy, his Chaos Spear, the product of his last reserves of energy.

Algos' features darkened as his mouth twisted into a sadistic grin, "**Come then, dark hedgehog**!"

Shadow gladly obliged and struck the Chaos Spear straight into the direction of Algos' chest. Algos smirked and caught Shadow's wrist with his left hand, holding the dark hedgehog in place. The ultimate life form panted as the Chaos Spear in his hand withered and died. Shadow was out of energy, he had nothing left. He was completely drained.

"**Too bad, Shadow the Hedgehog, time to die**!"

Blood red eyes widened in pain as Algos' shield covered fist drove itself forcefully into Shadow's stomach, the force of the punch lifting the ultimate life form off the ground slightly.

With a loud thud, the dark one collapsed at the feet of the sand monster, whose expression had turned even more sinister than before.

Raising his right foot, Algos' eyes gleamed as he prepared to stomp Shadow's brain out.

"Sonic Wind!"

The sand manipulating hedgehog was knocked off his feet from a large and sudden blue gust of wind. Flipping backwards, Algos landed safely on the ground.

To his shock, there stood Sonic the Hedgehog, completely rejuvenated.

Shadow smiled weakly, half of his face buried in the sand, "You're...late...moron."

Sonic's expression hardened, his eyes darting to Shadow for a second to make sure he was not in a life-threatening situation. Taking off, Sonic's right hand glowed with the power of the Shining Lance, his mind set on smashing the attack straight into Algos' face.

The speed demon stopped when Algos leaped on top of a large boulder situated conveniently behind him, almost a hundred feet in height.

'_Man, he's got hops_!'

"**You amuse me, Sonic the Hedgehog! Perhaps you'll fair better than that ridiculous excuse for a life form**!"

Sonic's gaze instantly hardened at the mention of Shadow's defeat. With the Shining Lance still concentrated and in hand, Sonic was about to take off when his ears picked up a faint sound.

A sound that got stronger, and stronger.

With a loud crash, a huge tidal wave of sand erupted from behind Algos, with it being more than three times as high as the boulder Algos was standing on, it's width unmeasurable, but catching the eye as far as it dared to travel.

Algos smirked as he lifted both of his arms high into the air. Sending them both down, the name of the new, frightening attack was bellowed:

"**Desert Avalanche**!"

Sonic's green hues widened as the huge sand wave came crashing down upon everything, including himself, Algos, and the fallen Shadow.

"Shadow!" Sonic remembered. He was completely defenseless!

Cursing, Sonic let the Shining Lance in his hand disappear as he ran over to Shadow, scooping the now unconscious hedgehog up into his arms in mid-run.

With a look back towards the approaching sand cascade, Sonic took off running as fast as he could, rivaling the speed of sound itself. The huge sand wave came crashing down, swallowing everything in its path. Sand and debris was flung into the air from the force of the impact.

Through all the chaos and destruction, an azure hedgehog stood tall, an ebony one lying safely by his feet, his eyes closed.

'_I hope the others made it,_' Sonic thought to himself.

As if fate decided to answer his question, a bat carrying a hedgehog and an echidna dropped from the sky.

"Whoa man," Knuckles said in between heavy breaths, "That was one huge attack."

Sonic nodded and examined the crew. None of them seemed to be injured seriously, not taking into account a few minor cuts and bruises. Suddenly, the dark unconscious hedgehog at Sonic's feet began to stir. Ruby red eyes blinked open as Shadow the Hedgehog sat up in a daze.

"Welcome back Shadow," Sonic said sarcastically.

Shadow glared at the blue hedgehog before standing to his full height, wavering slightly and threatening to fall over.

Rouge was by his side in an instant and supported the dark hedgehog. He gave her an acknowledging look before turning to face Sonic, "Is he defeated?"

Sonic shook his head, "Nope, sorry! I was too busy saving your ass!"

Shadow growled, "No one asked you to!"

The cerulean hedgehog smiled playfully, "Calm down Shads, I'll get him the next time!"

"**Desert Cage**!"

Shock overtook the features of everyone as a funnel of sand shot from the desert, wrapping itself around Shadow's left arm. The second the sand had a secure hold, it tightened into itself, mimicking an Anaconda.

Red eyes widened as Shadow screamed out in pain. But there was another noise that drowned out Shadow's scream, the sickening cracking sound of bones breaking. The sand suddenly released Shadow's arm as a familiar sand colored hedgehog with cerulean eyes jumped out of the desert, a mere ten feet away from his prey.

Collapsing, the dark hedgehog began wheezing heavily. Rouge securely wrapped her arms around his form in an attempt to comfort him.

"**Too bad, I only got his arm**."

That voice pushed Sonic over the top.

With furious emerald colored eyes that seemed to be aflame, Sonic formed a Shining Lance in his right hand in record time, "You're dead!"

With a furious yell, Sonic darted at Algos, who smirked and raised one of his shielded arms. A large cylinder of sand erupted from beneath his feet, lifting him high above the ground and from the reach of Sonic.

Sonic stopped immediately. He couldn't jump that high!

It was at least a hundred feet high. Plus, the swirling sand that it was created from seemed all but inviting and he didn't want to take a risk of being caught in one of Algos' attacks.

"Sonic," a hoarse voice croaked.

The blue hedgehog turned around towards the source of the voice to see a battered, bloody Shadow standing on his feet. A worried Rouge standing next to him in case he fell.

"Shadow?" Sonic asked unsurely, the Shining Lance in his hand continuing to swirl.

"I'll get you up there."

Green eyes narrowed, "Are you sure?"

The dark hedgehog nodded, "I told you, I am the ultimate life form!"

Sonic smiled, even in this situation, he was still as proud and as confident as ever.

Nodding at Rouge, Shadow stood on his own, limping over to the blue hedgehog, who was still unsure about Shadow's physical condition.

Grabbing onto Sonic's left arm with his uninjured one, the one of Sonic that didn't hold the deadly attack, Shadow planted his feet firmly into the sand, bending his knees slightly. Then, in less than a second, Shadow's grip on Sonic's arm tightened as he began spinning around in circles, taking the bewildered hero with him.

The two continued to spin until they were a mere black and blue miniature tornado.

Then, with a loud battle cry, Shadow released his grip on Sonic at the perfect angle, sending the blue hedgehog catapulting up towards the platform of the top of the sandy pillar.

With the Shining Lance in front of him, highlighting his face with its blue glow, Sonic appeared directly in front of Algos on top of the platform. Still in the air, Sonic's right arm darted forward.

"Shining Lance!" Sonic shouted, but his attack was cut short by a line of sand that sprung and wrapped itself around Sonic's wrist, holding the orb of energy mere inches away from Algos' face.

Cursing, and still in the air, Sonic gathered the same attack within his free hand, all the while keeping the attack in his trapped hand in tact.

"Shining Lance!" The blue hedgehog shouted again, driving the orb into the direction of Algos' face.

But once again, a line of sand, mimicking a rope, wrapped itself around Sonic's wrist, holding it in place. Algos smirked weakly, he had the blue hedgehog in his clutches once again, and this time there was no one to save him!

Sonic however, had different plans.

"**Son of a...**" Sonic screamed at the top of his voice, reeling his right leg back.

"...**BITCH**!"

With lightening fast speed and a ton's worth of force, Sonic swung his foot upwards, crashing it against Algos' chin with a sickening crack.

Everything seemed to stand still, no sound was made or heard.

Algos' eyes slowly rolled into the back of his head from the force of the attack, leaving the sand hedgehog's usually cerulean tinted orbs of sight completely white. With his mouth agape, a long, thick line of blood slowly ran out of his mouth and off the side of his face, dropping to the sand below. In an instant, the swirling sand colored shield surrounding him disappeared, along with the tight hold the sand had on Sonic's wrists.

With a loud, primal yell, the sand's grip completely shattered as Sonic put both of his hands containing the two separate attacks close to each other, causing them to fuse and turn into one large ball of energy, twice the size of Sonic's normal Shining Lance.

Ignoring the stinging pain throbbing in his foot, he re-opened his eyes. Sonic's two hands containing the large attack blasted forward straight into the still motionless and seemingly unconscious Algos.

"**Shining Lance**!"

The sheer force of the attack sent Algos flying off his sky sanctuary and towards the ground, where he crashed into the hard, unforgiving desert, sending up a huge wave of disturbed sand.

The second Sonic landed on top of the sand cylinder, it shook and collapsed as well. With a startled cry, Sonic crashed towards the ground, landing a few feet away from the burned, bruised, and bloodied Algos.

Managing to open his green hues, Sonic gasped when he saw icy blue eyes staring straight into his own. Some trickles of blood ran out of Algos' mouth, but he remained silent.

"Why?" Algos suddenly asked, causing Sonic to take in a sharp breath.

The blue hero remained silent.

"Why do you go so far for them?" Algos asked again in a monotone voice. He had lived in solitude all of his life, no one had ever protected him like that. He had never protected anyone else.

"What..do you mean?" Sonic questioned in return, a little unsure of the conversation.

"When I hurt that black hedgehog, you became angry and wanted to save him, why?" Algos deadpanned.

Sonic smiled slightly, "Because Algos, he's my friend, all of them are my friends," then his gaze hardened, "And you tried to harm them, I couldn't let that happen!"

Algos' gaze remained neutral, "I see..."

_'Friends...'_

"Sonic!" another voice called.

The hero's wary eyes traveled towards four approaching figures; Amy, Rouge, Knuckles, and Shadow. He could clearly make out Shadow by the way he was holding his broken left arm.

Jumping in front of Sonic in a defensive stance, Knuckles raised his fists at the fallen sand hedgehog.

"Leave him alone," Sonic suddenly commanded.

Knuckles turned to him wide-eyed, "What?"

The cerulean eyes of Algos also widened slightly.

Sonic smiled again and looked up into the clear blue sky, his quills ruffled around his head, "He's no threat, let him be."

"He tried to kill us!" Knuckles protested.

"No," Shadow interrupted, "Sonic's right, he doesn't pose a threat anymore."

"Are you kidding me?" Knuckles yelled in bewilderment, "The freak killed a bunch of G.U.N. soldiers and tried to kill us too!"

"So did I," Shadow retorted with a glare.

Knuckles instantly fell silent at the dark hedgehog's logic. Sand began to swirl around Algos' fallen body, making everyone focus their eyes on the sand hedgehog.

Sonic turned to look at him and received a small smile, "Thank you, Sonic the Hedgehog."

With those words, the sand enveloped Algos and pulled him down into the desert ground, causing him to vanish from the spot. The cerulean hero smiled weakly before shutting his eyes in complete exhaustion, the soft rays of the impending sun giving him an angelic appearance.


	8. A Phantom of Memories

Author's Note: I've decided to slow down the rate at which I post the chapters. The reason is that I had a set plan for this story before I posted this. I have a certain number of chapters ready to go, but I waited to post the story so that I could update it regularly. As it stands now, the story is catching up to the limit of my written-out chapters way too fast for my liking. Because of that, I won't post two chapters a week anymore, just one. Every **Thursday**, since I don't have too much going on that day, will see a new chapter. There will be instances when I'll post one on Thursday and another on Friday, but only in extremely rare cases.

Chapter 8- A Phantom of Memories

Lush green surrounded everything and anything. Water slowly trickled through hollowed out and predetermined paths, feeding all animals and plants with life. Frogs croaked and birds sang, giving the air a majestic and gentle feel to it.

Through it all, a band of heroes traveled. Sonic had regained consciousness and had the nearly unconscious Shadow with a broken left arm around his shoulder, supporting his comrade.

Beside them, Knuckles walked proudly and with power in his stride, making it obvious that he had regained his full strength back. Rouge and Amy trudged behind slightly, the humid air of the forest causing their clothes to stick to their skin.

They hadn't come this way the first time through, but figured it was better than running into any more trouble in the desert. Sonic the Hedgehog had recently defeated a new, and still mysterious foe, Algos.

The hedgehog resembled the sand he used as a weapon perfectly and was lethal and deadly in every way imaginable. But, through the combined efforts of Shadow, Sonic, and Knuckles, he was toppled and seemed to contemplate friendship and his actions when he had left.

"Sonic," Amy complained, breaking the rather peaceful silence, "We've been walking for two hours, can't we rest for a while?"

The blue hedgehog sighed and eyed the dark one he was carrying. Shadow was not the lightest of people, and his shoulders were starting to get sore anyway. A break seemed like a good idea.

"All right Amy," Sonic answered, "But only for a little while, we have to get Shadow to a Hospital."

Knuckles snorted and crossed his arms, taking a seat under a large tree, mimicking and Indian, "If he could use Chaos Control, we wouldn't have to walk through this jungle."

"Relax," Sonic cooed, setting Shadow down against a large boulder covered in moss, which had a small spring on the other side of it. The dark hedgehog slumped down like a lifeless rag doll, his arms at his sides, eyes closed.

"Can't you use Chaos Control?" Knuckles asked in agitation, he really wasn't too fond of the jungle, it was nothing like the one on Angle Island.

"I've already told you, _knucklehead_," the azure hero retorted with grit teeth, "I can only perform it with a Chaos Emerald, and I used up the power of both the ones we have recovering my strength."

The red echidna growled and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the tree. Rouge sighed, these two were the best of friends and worst of enemies all at once. Her emerald eyes traveled to the unconscious Shadow for a moment, he was still totally out cold.

"I'm going to go get some water for Shadow," the albino bat announced, heading off into the direction of the spring behind the boulder Shadow was sitting against.

Sonic nodded and plopped down onto the grassy ground himself, propping himself up with his arms. Amy also, rather unladylike, dropped to the ground, exhausted by the long walk. Sonic's grass green eyes traveled to the pink hedgehog, who removed her headband with a heavy sigh, the pink quills that were previously neatly arranged dangling and hanging loosely around her face.

-

Rouge sighed as she dropped onto her knees in front of the spring, which was about ten feet in diameter. Grabbing a small bowl from her leather spy suit, the bat scooped up a small amount of the clear water in one fell swoop, rippling and disturbing the rest of the small amount of water.

"Hm hm hm hm."

The albino bat immediately jumped up in a defensive stance at the sound of the sudden crackling laugh, dropping the bowl of water onto the ground, the contents spilling out and getting soaked up by the dirt.

"Who's there?" she asked, a little frightened, and a little curious.

After a few minutes of silence, the bat dismissed it as a hallucination and picked the bowl back up, scooping up a second serving of water.

When she removed the bowl from the surface of the water however, she screamed when she saw the reflection of another figure besides herself in it, a reflection that had venomous green eyes.

Panicking, the bat spun around only to come face-to-face with nothing.

"Where are you?" she asked again, this time in a small frightened voice.

"...Hm...Rouge the Bat...if I recall."

Performing a three hundred-sixty degree turn and coming up empty handed again, the albino huntress began to back up slightly, totally forgetting about the bowl of water she had planned on retrieving for her ebony comrade.

"...You're the one I fought in Soleanna, you're the one that aided Shadow."

Rouge's eyes widened, what was this guy talking about?

"What are you talking about?" she asked out loud, her eyes still scanning for the intruder.

"Ah yes...it always slips my mind...that you have no memory of that event...which never occurred."

Now Rouge was starting to freak out. This guy was starting to sound like a loon to her.

"An event that didn't occur?" the bat murmured in confusion.

"Yesss," the voice hissed, "But I shall grant you...along with everyone involved in those events...the privilege...of that memory."

That was it, she was outta there!

Spinning around and totally forgetting the bowl of water, Rouge sprinted back around the large boulder and to the group, who were all staring at something, something above them, with wide, fear-filled eyes.

Rouge stopped, Shadow was still sitting against the boulder. Raising her eyes to see what everyone was so afraid of, they nearly popped out at what she saw.

Perched atop the boulder, stood Shadow. At least, he resembled him greatly. His quills and every other shape or body part matched the dark hedgehog's perfectly, but he had different coloring than the ultimate life form.

He did have the black fur on him, but instead of bloody red stripes, he had ghostly gray ones. Even his shoes seemed to resemble his appearance, gray and black. The rings around his wrists and ankles were platinum, instead of gold like Shadow's.

"Who are you?" Rouge asked in bewilderment, surely this was the same character that had haunted her a couple of minutes ago.

The creature directed its gaze towards her, and for the first time, she noticed that the hedgehog copy had haunting and evil green eyes with slits for pupils, like a cat or snake.

"You all have memories," he began, "Memories of that which did not occur, memories that I'm the key to unlocking."

Sonic's eyes instantly narrowed, "What the hell are you talking about, fake faker?"

The phantom's eyes darted to Sonic, and in an instant, the blue hedgehog froze. The ghost hedgehog had disappeared!

"Do not mock someone superior to yourself, idiot," came a voice from behind Sonic.

His emerald eyes widened, how did he get there? It wasn't Chaos Control. And his similarities to Shadow were increasing with every word he spoke.

Spinning around, the hero found no one. Looking back towards the boulder and Shadow, he was shocked to see the creature hovering right above the black hedgehog, his arm raised.

"Get away from him!" Sonic yelled in protest.

Green met green.

In that one moment of distraction, the dark hedgehog at the creature's feet lept up and attempted to deliver a swift punch to his jaw. The creature remained completely unfazed and disappeared again, but this time into the ground below.

Shadow's red hues widened.

Instantly, he felt a hot searing pain in the back of his head. Dropping to his knees, Shadow coughed up some blood as the creature grabbed him by the back of his neck, lifting him up to eye level.

"You're even more pathetic than the last time we met!" the creature exclaimed with a sneer.

"You underestimate me, Mephiles!" Shadow yelled, spinning around and going for a high kick to the phantom's head.

He disappeared once again, appeared behind Shadow just as fast, and kicked him in the back, causing the ultimate life form to fly towards the group. Knuckles caught the hedgehog, as unwilling as he was, as the two tumbled onto the ground before getting back up very slowly.

"As I was saying, before I was interrupted," Mephiles continued, "I will give you all your memories of the events that never occurred in Soleanna."

Shadow's eyes narrowed, "Why?"

"Because," Mephiles explained, seemingly amused, although it didn't show since he had no mouth, "It wouldn't be decent of me to fight you if you didn't know who I was. Besides, you would all be better off with the memories."

Then, it happened. Mephiles' irises erupted to a bright black, sending a large shock wave of ebony out that engulfed everyone, standing in awe and fear.

_The Flames..._

_Sonic the Hedgehog..._

_Soleanna..._

_Elise..._

_Solaris Project..._

_Ten years ago..._

_Silver..._

_Blaze..._

_Revenge..._

_Iblis Trigger..._

_Agent Shadow..._

_Eggman..._

_Future..._

_Chaos Control..._

_I will always remain by your side..._

_Fight as I always have..._

_It's no use..._

_Darkness..._

_Death..._

_Super Sonic..._

_Super Shadow..._

_Super Silver..._

_Mephiles._

It was as if the heroes in front of the dark one had been dropped into a pool filled with ice water. The memories, all the memories of the events that had taken place in Soleanna flooded back into the minds of the heroes.

It all came in such a rush, Rouge and Amy collapsed onto their knees, their eyes completely blank. Shadow, Sonic, and Knuckles wavered, but managed to remain standing.

Mephiles' eyes returned to their normal black slitted green, his head cocked to the side slightly, "Is it that much of a shock, the return of memories?"

Shadow had to admit, he had never felt this overwhelmed before.

He had regained his memories once during the Black Arms invasion, but they had been returned to him in portions, so the mental damage he took was small each time, but this was something totally different.

Knuckles' and Sonic's eyes were both hollow and devoid of emotion, their mouths agape with some drool running down their chins. Shadow didn't blame them, they didn't know what it was like to regain memories, especially in a portion such as this.

Swallowing a lump in his dry throat, Shadow managed to speak first, "Why...Why did you show us that?"

Mephiles chuckled out of amusement, "You have always been naive, Shadow. Even back when we fought for the first time, you didn't grasp the important meaning behind my actions until it was too late."

_Flashback_

_Lava flowed from multiple breaks in the cavern, surrounding a large platform . The cave had a crimson glow residing in it, and the heat was nearly unbearable for an average person._

_However, the two staring each other down on the platform were both far less than average._

_To someone just seeing the event is would seem like two long-lost brothers were preparing for battle. The two mirrored each other in almost every way, save for the coloring of the highlights on their ebony fur._

_One's were a bloody red, and the other's were a deathly gray._

_Shadow the Hedgehog pointed a finger at the figure perched atop a small boulder, "Why are you here? Did you ruin this world?"_

_The other figure moved his head slightly to the side, "The answer is yes...and no. Perhaps it's better to show you!"_

_Mephiles the Dark raised his left hand, and as soon as he did, an image appeared hovering above both of them. Shadow's eyes widened for a split second, and then narrowed at what he saw._

_It was him. He was trapped in some sort of violet energy prison, appearing to be in a comatose condition._

"_Yesssss, that's you," Mephiles hissed, "After the world was devastated by Iblis' flames, what do you think happened?"_

_The phantom raised both of his hands up, "A search for the guilty. Who did this, you may ask?"_

_Shadow's gaze never left the image as Mephiles continued to speak, "Humanity wasn't just jealous of your power..."_

_Shadow's ruby red eyes immediately switched to the phantom at those words._

"_...They feared it."_

_The ebony hedgehog looked down slightly. Was this really true? Had humanity betrayed him?_

"_They used this incident as an excuse to hunt you down..."_

"_...Come with me, Shadow."_

"_Let us punish this foolish world of humanity," Mephiles hissed, holding out his left hand to Shadow._

"_It's only fair to give back what was intended for you! You have every right to want justice!"_

"_That's absurd," Shadow suddenly interrupted, "Whatever it is you want to do, you can do it alone!"_

_There was a slight pause._

"_You forgive humanity this folly, then?" Mephiles asked, pointing back towards the image._

"_I determine my own destiny!" Shadow retorted, clenching his right fist and holding it up for Mephiles to see._

_Mephiles drew back his hand at the ultimate life form's sudden statement, stretching them out to their fullest, his body morphing into his next stage, the crystalline form._

_His black coat turned a heavy purple and the ghostly stripes on his body turned a light, almost icy shade of blue. His green irises turned a few shades lighter and the whites of his eyes turned a bloody red. He had seemed to lose his nose as well. _

_Purple smoke rose from his feet as his eyes burned directly into Shadow's. It was time for the first epic battle between the two, but it certainly would not be the last._

_End Flashback_

Shadow's fists clenched unconsciously at the remembrance of that event. He had lost that day. If it wasn't for Omega, he wouldn't have survived the battle either.

Mephiles' ghostly chuckle rose through the air again, "You seem like you're ready for a fight Shadow, even with a broken arm!"

The ultimate life form looked back towards the others for a split second, they were still in some kind of trance. It looked like he had no choice then.

"Mephiles," Shadow began, a Chaos Spear beginning to glow in his right hand, the one that was attached to his arms that wasn't broken, "The past won't repeat itself here!"

If Mephiles had a mouth, it surely would have arched into a cruel smirk as the ultimate life form before him shot towards him, a fully-charged Chaos Spear in hand.


	9. Mephiles' Gift

Chapter 9- Mephiles' Gift

Mephiles ducked nonchalantly as an ebony and crimson arm darted over him, his features lightened slightly by the Chaos Spear Shadow had intended to drive into his throat. Shadow's eyes widened from the speed at which Mephiles performed and warped away in the blink of an eye, he didn't want to get hit by his counter-attack.

The dark hedgehog reappeared and let the Chaos Spear in his hand wither away, its energy returning back to his body. Mephiles straightened back up as Shadow's eyes narrowed. Why didn't he try and deliver an attack of his own?

"Why aren't you fighting me?" Shadow asked.

"Hm hm hm," Mephiles laughed sinisterly, "Why should a lion use its energy to kill a fly when it can do so with a simple swipe of its paw?"

The ultimate life form's eyes narrowed in an instant, "It isn't wise to underestimate someone like that."

The dark figure chuckled, "You know nothing of wisdom, or power for that matter."

"We'll see!" Shadow shouted, kicking off the ground and blazing towards Mephiles, his hover shoes flaring and spouting out flames like two small dragons at his feet.

The ghostly hedgehog copy moved his head to the side to avoid a punch from Shadow. The dark hedgehog cursed in anger and performed a round-house kick still in mid-air. Mephiles' stoic expression never faltered as he quickly ducked out of the way of the attack.

"A right punch," Mephiles suddenly deadpanned, causing Shadow to tense up, landing on the ground before him.

"Wha-" the dark hedgehog was cut off in the middle of his question when Mephiles' right fist dug into his gut.

Ruby eyes widened out of pain and blood unwillingly left his body through his mouth, splattering onto the grass. The ultimate life form doubled over in pain, and with one eye open, looked up to see Mephiles staring back at him with his head cocked to the side.

"A left kick."

Crimson eyes widened as a black and gray leg, too fast for Shadow to even detect, swept across his face, sending him flying ten feet back into a large tree.

With a scream, the bio-engineered hedgehog' head flew back as he slumped against the tree, breathing heavily with only one of his eyes half-way open.

"Pathetic," Mephiles murmured, beginning to stalk towards Shadow, "I told you exactly what I was going to do and even gave you some time to prepare yourself, yet you were totally caught off guard on both strikes..."

..."You'll never be able to beat him."

He knew in an instant who Mephiles was referring to, his psychotic and homicidal older brother, the one that had killed everyone on Ark: Eclipse.

Something inside of the dark hedgehog snapped.

With a deafening roar, Shadow lept to his feet, ruby eyes now fully open, a Chaos Spear that had been gathered in less than a second in his right hand, for his left was still broken.

Mephiles' eyes narrowed as he suddenly sunk into the ground, mimicking a rock sinking into a pool of water. Shadow instantly stopped, searching for the impostor when he heard a loud whoosh behind him.

Before the ultimate life form could even turn around, Mephiles' left leg came crashing into his broken arm. Hot white pain shot through the dark hedgehog's body as his Chaos Spear instantly disappeared. Grabbing his arm, the instinct took over as he released a thunderous cry of pain.

"**AHHHHHHHHHHH**!"

The leg retreated back to the ground as Shadow dropped to his knees, blood running from his nose and mouth, his eyes completely void of emotion.

It seemed as a scream was what it took to whirl the other four heroes out of their comatose state and straight back into the real world. Knuckles and Sonic instantly snapped to attention and darted towards Shadow.

Rouge the Bat let forth a startled and fear-filled: "Shadow!" before also leaping to her feet with Amy, who had also called the dark hedgehog's name, although not as powerfully as Rouge had.

Sonic and Knuckles jumped in front of the fallen Shadow, staring down upon Mephiles as Rouge instantly took the dark hedgehog into her arms, trying to calm him like a mother would her child.

"Shadow," she whispered, "It's all right Shadow."

"That's it, you're dead-meat!" Sonic spat, getting into a fighting stance.

"I'm not interested in the likes of you two," Mephiles sneered, pointing at the figure on his knees, "I came for the so called ultimate life form!"

"You will not touch him," Rouge hissed, her eyes aflame with anger.

The phantom hedgehog chuckled at the bat's behavior. He could never really figure out the way females thought and acted at times, completely without rational thought and reasoning.

Noticing Mephiles' stare, Knuckles saw it as an opening and jumped at the phantom, "Take this!"

Mephiles' gaze did not even shift onto Knuckles as he nonchalantly blocked the echidna's fist with the back of his hand.

Both violet and green eyes widened.

"No way!" Sonic shouted as Knuckles jumped back beside him comrade.

"Trash," Mephiles muttered, "Get out of my way, or die."

"Try it," the azure hedgehog sneered, getting into stance to summon the Shining Lance upon an instant's notice.

"Very well."

Sonic and Knuckles didn't even know what had happened. It couldn't even have been considered a blur. It was nothing but in less than a second, they were both face-first on the ground, gasping in pain, Mephiles standing above them both.

How had he been able to incapacitate them both so fast that not even Sonic the Hedgehog could keep up? The phantom sneered in disgust and turned towards where Shadow was, only to see both girls of the group with raised weapons standing in front of him protectively.

Mephiles raised his hand, summoning a wave of dark energy that knocked both females to the side, sending Rouge crashing into the base of a tree and Amy rolling onto the grass.

"Now," Mephiles spoke, putting a hand on Shadow's injured arm, "Let's see at what level you truly reside on at the moment."

The dark one's hand glowed black for a second before he removed it. Shadow's eyes blinked open, the pain was completely gone.

"What...did you do?" Shadow asked in a raspy voice.

"I healed you," Mephiles replied simply, pretending to be oblivious to the fact that he had tried to kill him just a few minutes ago.

"Why?"

"I want to see your true strength Shadow, to see what you are really capable of," Mephiles explained, getting back up.

Shadow smirked, this guy just made a big mistake.

"I should warn you," the ultimate life form hissed, his hands beginning to glow in an eerie yellow color, "You quite possibly won't make it out of here alive now that I'm fully healed."

"Don't flatter yourself," Mephiles deadpanned, "You're nowhere near my current level, half-dead or at full health."

"Cocky, aren't you?" Shadow asked.

"I have every right to be," Mephiles retorted, folding his arms across his chest.

"Shadow!" another voice called, a feminine one.

Mephiles' gaze hardened, "There's no time for these petite little interruptions."

With a wave of his hand, a large dark sphere manifested from the ground and crawled over the air and space surrounding them, completely entrapping both fighters.

Sonic and the others skidded to a halt immediately, "Can you break it Knuckles?"

The echidna nodded, "I'll try."

With a loud battle cry, Knuckles darted forward and drove his spiked fist into the shield.

A few moments of silence past before the shield sizzled and sent a shock wave coursing through the echidna's body, sending him flying back.

"Damn," he cursed, getting up and examining his white glove, which was now completely black and burned at the spot where his fist had made contact with the shield.

"I guess we'll just have to watch, and hope," Sonic muttered, his eyes on the two facing off in the barrier.

_'Shadow,'_ Rouge thought in a long distant voice.

-

"Are you ready?" Mephiles asked, his head cocked to the side.

Shadow smirked, "Are you mocking me, Mephiles?"

"Perhaps," he responded, "Now prepare yourself!"

Shadow nodded, instantly kicking off, "Here I come!"

The phantom hedgehog chuckled as he blocked Shadow's first punch with the back of his arm. The ultimate life form growled in aggravation and flipped over Mephiles, coming down with a side kick aimed at the monster's head.

Once again, the attack was blocked, but this time Mephiles grasped Shadow's caught leg and threw him onto the ground with a powerful slam. The dark hedgehog grimaced as the phantom above him pointed an opened hand directly into his face, "Now, taste true power."

Shadow's horror-stricken face was illuminated by a violent black and purple ball of energy that crackled to life in Mephiles' hand.

"Nightmare Lance," the dark one stated as a beam of energy the same color as the orb erupted from his hand.

Shadow cursed and warped away, the attack only grazing his forehead. The beam had narrowly missed him, instead taking a clean chunk out of the ground. Mephiles' hand came back to his side as he tilted his head to look at Shadow, "Chaos Control? Not bad."

The ultimate life form's eyes widened when Mephiles suddenly sunk down into the ground.

Ruby eyes scanned the area for any signs of the foe when Shadow heard a dark chuckle echoing through the air, seemingly coming from all sides.

"I'll admit your powers are impressive Shadow," the voice, undoubtedly belonging to Mephiles, hissed, "However, you are no match for me or your brother at your current level."

Bloody eyes widened when Shadow heard Mephiles mutter the next few words right behind him, "You're weak Shadow. But...I can change that. I can help you gain power, the power you so desperately chase after."

Blood sprayed from Shadow's mouth as he collapsed in a heap on the floor. Mephiles lowered his hand, after having struck the hedgehog in the back of the head.

"Pathetic, you'll never beat your brother," Mephiles mocked, his eyes changing direction to point up into the sky.

That instant, Shadow's eyes shot open as he leaped up from his fallen state, totally startling Mephiles, "What?"

Shadow smirked as he landed behind his phantom, two yellow orbs glowing brightly within his hands, "You underestimate me, Mephiles!"

Wide slitted green eyes barely made contact with Shadow's form before the dark hedgehog lept forward, pointing both orbs directly into Mephiles' face.

"**Chaos Barrage**!"

The second the command left Shadow's lips, a sea of energy erupted from the two orbs, flying directly into Mephiles. Smoke immediately burst forward from the attack accompanied by several loud explosive booms.

The assault lasted less than a minute but even in that small time frame, hundreds of small energy shots were fired. The barrage of energy slowly died down and diminished as the dark hedgehog lowered his arms.

"Whoo!" Sonic cheered from behind the shield, "Nice ass kickin' there Shads!"

Shadow smirked again, when suddenly, his eyes widened. If Mephiles was defeated, why was the shield still up?

No sooner had those thoughts crossed his mind, Mephiles bolted out of the smoke, completely unharmed, with something black glittering in his right hand.

Shadow barely had time to register what had happened before the phantom was directly in front of him and thrust the hand with the shimmering object into his ebony and white tinted chest in a wave of black ripples like the ones created when a stone was tossed into water.

The dark hedgehog's eyes widened, his mouth opened in shock and pain, "Uh--"

Sonic and Knuckles' eyes immediately widened as well.

Amy put a hand to her mouth out of shock as Rouge yelled an emotional: "Shadow!"

It was if as time itself stood still, no one in the area dared to move or even breath.

Shadow's eyes were still wide as the frame-like feeling was broken by Mephiles, who removed his hand and jumped back a few feet. As soon as his feet touched the ground, the purple energy shield around the two disappeared.

Without a second thought, everyone darted forward, mimicking the scene from earlier when Shadow got injured. Rouge wrapped her arms around the hedgehog, checking for any blood on his wounded chest. Her eyes widened when there was no gash or bruise whatsoever.

"What did you do to him?" Rouge shot at the dark phantom venomously.

Mephiles chuckled, "I highly doubt that I'm obliged to answer your questions, little bat."

"Then answer me!" Sonic yelled, stepping forward, "What did you do to Shadow?"

Totally out of character, Mephiles shrugged, "Nothing, if you really think about it. All I did was give him a little gift."

"In the form of what?" Knuckles questioned angrily. This shady character was really beating around the bush, and it was starting to piss him off.

Hollow green eyes devoid of any and all emotion turned to the echidna, "An emerald."

Sonic's grass green hues widened, but before he could say anything, Amy beat him to the punch, "A Chaos Emerald?"

Mephiles nodded as his body started to slowly sink into the ground, "Yes, little girl, but not one of which you have any knowledge of. "

"Wait!" Sonic shouted in protest at the disappearing Mephiles.

He chuckled in response, "Do not worry, Sonic, we will all meet again, especially Shadow and I. He will come for me and my promise. After all, I am the key to his brother's defeat."

Then he was gone, leaving a shocked Sonic crew and their black and red injured companion.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, that's the end of that one. Anyway, I was thinking about doing something with the characters outside of the story, like them answering reviews for previous chapters or commenting on the events of the chapter. If you want to see something like that, go ahead and specify in your reviews!

Later.


	10. Final Stand Against Robotnik

Chapter 10- Final Stand Against Robotnik

"What the hell happened?" Sonic asked in shock, slightly ruffling the black and red hedgehog on his back.

They had arrived at the outskirts of Station Square, standing on top of a large grass covered hill. It had taken them all nearly eight hours to make it here after the confrontation with Mephiles.

To their shock, half of Station Square lay in ruins. Buildings were burned and destroyed, G.U.N. soldiers ran around everyone, and people were fleeing the streets. The scene was reminiscent of when the Black Arms had invaded Westopolis for the first time nearly a year ago.

For a split second, Sonic had wondered who had done this, but the monstrous metal beast floating above the city highlighted by the shimmering sun answered his question perfectly.

"Eggman," Sonic mumbled. Why hadn't he been smarter? He should have known the crazed lunatic would attack the city when all its defenders were away.

The Egg Carrier 3.0, or III for short, floated almost silently above the city, releasing mechs and robots of all kind upon the seemingly defenseless and unprepared city.

However, a small yellow plane flying through the air, shooting down any and all mechs in its path and occasionally firing rockets at the large ship that was releasing them calmed Sonic's nerves slightly.

"Tails."

Indeed, the young yellow fox was in his newest version of the tornado. The small genius skillfully maneuvered out of the way of enemy fire, returning it when he could. He had already taken out an incredible number of enemies, but they kept on coming, the hordes seeming endless.

Looking over the side of the plane, he smiled when he saw what looked like a bunch of dots on the outskirts of the city. From so high above, it was hard to tell but he could definitely make out that one of them was blue.

Tails smiled, relived at the sight of his 'big brother', "Sonic!"

The two tailed fox switched course immediately and headed towards the group standing on the hill. Sonic and the others raised their hands to protect their faces when the Tornado touched down, making the grass around it swirl and wave uncontrollably.

The small fox boy jumped out of the plane and jogged towards Sonic, "Hey Sonic!"

The blue blur smiled and rubbed the top of his friend's head, "What's up little bud?"

"Man, I'm glad you guys showed up," the fox sighed in between breaths, "Eggman launched a massive attack on the city yesterday!"

"Is everyone safe?" Amy asked, slightly concerned for the well being of the citizens.

The young fox nodded, "Yeah, all civilians were moved to a large underground fort a couple of miles from here and--"

Tails cut himself off when he finally noticed Shadow slumped over Sonic's back, "What happened to him?"

Sonic smiled, "Well, we met this guy named Mephiles and--"

"Mephiles?" Tails asked in confusion, blinking, "That's the name of the bad guy from my dream."

Knuckles perked up, "What dream?"

"The one I had last night," Tails responded, "It was really weird! Something about Soleanna, Solaris, Iblis, Silver and Blaze. At least those are all the names I remember, including Mephiles."

"You must've gotten your memory back as well,," Rouge explained.

The young fox blinked again, "Memory? No, no, it was just a dream."

The albino bat sighed, "I know, kid. But believe me, it really happened."

_Flashback _

"_As I was saying, before I was interrupted," Mephiles continued, "I will give you all your memories of the events that occurred."_

_Shadow's eyes narrowed, "Why?"_

"_Because," Mephiles explained, seemingly amused, although it didn't show since he had no mouth, "It wouldn't be decent of me to fight you if you didn't know who I was."_

_Then, it happened. Mephiles' irises erupted to a bright black, sending a large shock wave of ebony out that engulfed everyone, standing in awe and fear._

_The Flames..._

_Sonic the Hedgehog..._

_Soleanna..._

_Elise..._

_Solaris Project..._

_Ten years ago..._

_Silver..._

_Blaze..._

_Revenge..._

_Iblis Trigger..._

_Agent Shadow..._

_Eggman..._

_Future..._

_Chaos Control..._

_I will always remain by your side..._

_Fight as I always have..._

_It's no use..._

_Darkness..._

_Death..._

_Super Sonic..._

_Super Shadow..._

_Super Silver..._

_Mephiles._

_It was as if the heroes in front of the dark one had been dropped into a pool filled with ice water. The memories, all the memories of the events that had taken place in Soleanna flooded back into the minds of the heroes. _

_It all came in such a rush, Rouge and Amy collapsed onto their knees, their eyes completely blank. Shadow, Sonic, and Knuckles wavered, but managed to remain standing._

_Mephiles' eyes returned to their normal black slitted green, his head cocked to the side slightly, "Is it that much of a shock, the return of memories?"_

_End Flashback _

"Wow," Tails exclaimed childishly, sticking true to his nature, "So it all really happened?"

Knuckles nodded, "Yeah, but we don't have much time to explain, where's Eggman?"

Tails turned around and pointed into the sky at the large metal beast floating there, "In the Egg Carrier III, of course."

"All right," Sonic said, raising a fist, "Let's go kick some butt!"

"Wait," Amy interrupted, halting the blue hedgehog in mid-leap, "What about Shadow?"

The cobalt hero stood up straight and put a finger to his chin, "Oh yeah! Well, we could just--"

"Put me down, idiot."

Sonic blinked in surprise at having the ultimate life form on his back suddenly talk. Turning his head to the side slightly, he came eye-to-eye with the ultimate life form, who was glaring at him furiously, "Finally awake, huh?"

"Shut up," Shadow responded coldly, "Put me down!"

The speed demon shrugged, "Okay."

In an instant, the blue hedgehog shook his back violently, making the dark hedgehog fall from his back and land on the ground with a thud.

Shadow immediately jumped up, more than livid, and stuck his face into Sonic's, "What did you do that for, moron?"

Sonic shrugged again, pissing the ultimate life form off even more, "You said to put you down."

"Are you that dense?" Shadow spat sarcastically, his voice laced with venom.

"Are you that much of a girl?" Sonic retorted, the same angry edge in his voice.

Rouge and Amy sighed at the two male hedgehogs. Sparks were literally flying in between their eyes. Both seemed to have completely forgotten the Eggman problem. How typical of them. They were best friends and worst enemies at the same time.

"Guys," Knuckles interrupted, making both hedgehogs instantly snap their heads and glare at him, "Shouldn't we go stop Eggman now?"

Sonic backed off and crossed his arm, "I'm not working with that freak."

Shadow mimicked Sonic, although unintentionally, and crossed his arms as well, "And I'm not operating with that imbecile."

"Shut up, ultimate _ass_ form!" Sonic yelled, pointing a finger in Shadow's face.

Rouge and Amy could've sworn they saw the ultimate life form's eyes catch fire,"Why you little...!"

Too fast for everyone to catch, Shadow leaped forward and wrapped his hands around Sonic's throat, knocking them both to the floor, Sonic on the bottom, attempting to choke the life out of the world famed hero.

"--elp me!" Sonic wheezed through the strangling session, his eyes pleadingly directed at his friends.

Everyone else came to the hero's aid and pried Shadow's fingers from Sonic's throat, pulling the dark hedgehog back and off of the azure hedgehog. Managing to hold Shadow back by themselves, Rouge and Knuckles nodded and Tails and Amy to grab a hold of Sonic.

"Sleep with one eye open!" Shadow hissed from behind Knuckles.

"Bring it on, _sista_!" Sonic yelled back, being held down by Tails and Amy.

"**SHUT UP**!"

Everyone turned in shock to look at Rouge, who practically had a vein popping out of her forehead, "All of you, stop acting like kids, have you forgotten about Eggman?"

Shadow and Sonic glared at each other once more before snapping their heads away from each other with simultaneous huffs.

"Fine," they both agreed.

-

It had taken them all less than half an hour to pile into the Tornado. Tails sat in the cockpit, of course.

He had recently installed three seats behind the "driver's" seat of the plane, as to accommodate for all the passengers that he had been commonly receiving on trips. Amy sat in the first seat, Rouge behind her, and a quiet and thoughtful Knuckles in the last.

Sonic was perched on the plane's left wing in a crouched position, as if ready to jump at any moment. With his left hand, he held onto a small handlebar that stuck out of the wing's flat surface.

Once again, Tails had planned ahead.

Shadow was on the right wing, although he was not crouched like Sonic, standing mostly upright with bent knees. After all, if he should happen to fall off, he could always warp to safety.

The ultimate life form had argued that it was best if he warped to the Egg Carrier ahead of them before they departed, but Rouge and Tails had retorted that they needed them all to stay together in order to find and beat Eggman.

Shadow scoffed, as if he really needed their help with defeating the Doctor. He was a mere inconvenience. But then again, this could give him some extra training before going after his brother.

The black and red hedgehog drummed his fingers on the blue and yellow wing, creating dull clanking sounds. The wing was hollow after all.

"Are we there yet?" Sonic asked childishly, breaking the silence that loomed over the group like a dragon.

Amy sighed, "Sonic, when we land on that giant war ship," she pointed to the Egg Carrier III, "We'll be there."

"But I'm bored," the sixteen-year old hedgehog whined.

"Then why don't you go somewhere else?" Knuckles asked, his eyes closed and his arms crossed. His blue friend was starting to annoy him, which was not a good thing considering the echidna's colossal strength.

"There's nowhere to go, we're on an airplane!" Sonic yelled back at his crimson companion.

The red-colored guardian shrugged, "I guess you're just out of luck then."

"Shit-head," the blue blur murmured under his breath, lowering his eyes to his lap in order not to catch the guardian's gaze.

-

It had been almost ten minutes since they took off and still the received no hostile actions from the Doctor. It was starting to get on Sonic's nerves.

"Why doesn't that fat-ass attack us?" Sonic asked, throwing his free hand into the air to physically display his frustration and boredom.

"It's good that we haven't been attacked, moron," Shadow answered for everyone else, eying the blue hedgehog in annoyance.

"Hang on!" Tails suddenly announced as bullets whizzed by the plane, seemingly putting Sonic's question on deaf ears.

The young fox skillfully maneuvered out of the way of every shot fired by the few flying mechs surrounding the great floating fortress.

"Returning fire!" Tails shouted as sprays of metal shot from the nose of the Tornado, taking out what few ships the Doctor had in the air. He obviously wasn't expecting an aerial attack.

A loud siren suddenly rang through the air, stirring the full attention of everyone aboard the Tornado. A side hatch of the Egg Carrier opened up, releasing dozens of tall, silver flying mechs. Sonic's eyes widened, he had seen those robots before! It was in Soleanna.

"Watch it Tails," Sonic warned, "Those robots aren't to be underestimated!"

The young fox boy shot his hero a glance and nodded before shifting course to the right, barely avoiding six missiles that exploded on the spot.

"Take this!" Tails shouted, "Photon Beam, fire!"

Two large violet rays of energy shot from two small cannons strapped to the Tornado's wings, hitting and destroying at least ten of the mechs.

Sonic gave the young fox a thumbs up as the mechs approached faster than they had before.

"I'll take care of this," Sonic and Shadow announced simultaneously, glaring at each other for speaking at the same time for a moment before jumping off the plane.

Shadow immediately went after the closest mech, planting his heavy footwear into its face, causing it to sizzle and begin to fall towards the earth below.

Using the destroyed robot as a boost, Shadow shot towards another.

With a loud crash, the black and red hedgehog drove his fist straight through the mechanical monster, coming out on the other side. He side-glanced at Sonic for a split second, seeing that the azure hedgehog was making quick work of his share of the mechs using his spin dash.

Smirking, Shadow shot off towards Sonic and grabbed the bewildered hedgehog by the gruff of his neck, throwing him back into the direction of the Tornado.

"You're in my way," he murmured.

"Shadow! You conceited bastard!" Sonic shouted once he landed safely on the plane's right wing, the one which Shadow had just occupied.

The ultimate life form smiled darkly as he began to fall, the remaining mechs, which counted to seven, following him, their blue jets blazing from their backs. He could feel the red, hot energy of his most destructive attack sizzling to life around him. These idiotic robots were going to be blown to bits.

His body was outlined perfectly with the energy as he tightened his hands into fists, raising them to his sides. Crimson highlighted eyes glared at the direction of the nearest robot as he released his attack.

"**Chaos...Blast**!"

A huge red wave of energy erupted from the dark hedgehog, totally engulfing all the pursuing mechs in a fiery display of destruction and power.

Amy and Rouge's mouths were both open in awe.

Knuckles smirked, _'He does have a right to be cocky.'_

Tails, who was still piloting the plane, managed a glance as well, "Whoa, that was cool!"

Sonic growled and crossed his arms, "Pshh, I could've done that!"

"Don't kid yourself Sonic," Rouge commented.

Shadow suddenly reappeared in a red flash next to Sonic on the right wing of the plane. Tossing a nonchalant look at the hero, he spoke, "You're in my seat."

"Who says this is your seat?" Sonic retorted, raising a fist.

"I do," the dark hedgehog responded calmly, pushing the blue hedgehog over to the other wing.

"Freak!" Sonic shouted at the black hedgehog.

"Moron," Shadow retorted simply.

"Yo mama!" the blue hero screamed.

Rouge, Amy, and Tails sweat dropped, those two would never change.

"Hang on guys," Tails announced as the plane tilted to the left, causing both Shadow and Sonic to crouch down in order to avoid falling off, "We're about to land!"


	11. Infiltration

Chapter 11- Infiltration

The loud hum of the Tornado's engines echoed through the silent sky as the blue plane touched down on a crimson metallic surface belonging to the Egg Carrier III. Soon after, a young fox, three hedgehogs, an echidna, and a bat jumped out, landing on the same surface, wind blowing their fur and quills everywhere.

They had landed on a small flat landing zone on the giant ship, one of the only flat surfaces the mechanical monster had to offer. Beyond them, maybe fifty feet away, was a large blast door leading into the ship's interior.

"Whoa," the blue male hedgehog, Sonic, commented rather loudly over the loud whistling of the wind, "Eggman really improved this thing from last time!"

"This is no time for sightseeing," another hedgehog, Shadow, snapped with closed fists.

"Both of you guys, cool down," Amy scolded. Seriously, these two acted more like kids most of the time, not like the ultimate life form and Earth's most loved hero.

"Tails," Knuckles asked with crossed arms, "Where is Eggman located?"

The young fox pointed to a large pointed tower spearing up from the middle of the ship without a moment's hesitation, "In the Command Center."

The crimson echidna nodded and turned to the two bickering hedgehogs, Sonic and Shadow, "Come on, no time to be behaving like kids."

"Up yours, knucklehead!" Sonic immediately retorted, making both the guardian and the ultimate life form smirk. Once again, Sonic had just proven the point of his childish behavior.

"Come on, let's go!" Rogue ordered, staring at a small blast door that lead into the interior of the ship.

"Shouldn't you call G.U.N. for support?" Tails asked, following the bat to the door.

Amy, Knuckles, Shadow, and a brooding Sonic all followed.

"No," Rouge answered, stopping in front of the sealed door, "They probably have their hands full with Eggman's troops in the city."

"How are we going to open it?" Amy asked curiously, stepping besides Sonic.

"Don't worry about it!" Knuckles exclaimed, slamming one of his spiked fists into his other hand's open palm, "I'll turn that door into scrap metal!"

Rouge softly laid her hand on the echidna's fist and shook her head, "That'll only attract attention, leave this to me."

The ivory bat quickly pulled out a small metallic rectangular box out of her leather spy suit. Attaching it to a large green box beside the door with ten numbers meant for access codes, the bat began pressing multiple buttons on her device. A quiet hum erupted from Rouge's hacking equipment. Smiling, the bat punched in five numbers.

"_Access Approved_," a robotic female voice droned.

With a loud hiss, the large metallic door slid open. Rouge smirked and turned to the others, tossing the metallic hacking device in her hand.

"I could've done that," Knuckles mumbled, passing the bat and heading into the belly of the metallic ship.

"Nice job Rouge!" Amy chirped as she passed by.

"Can you teach me that later?" Tails asked as he followed Amy.

"Showoff," Sonic grumbled.

That left only one, Shadow the Hedgehog, the only one she really wanted acknowledgment from.

Staring hopefully at the black and red hedgehog, Rouge's heart skipped a beat when his mouth opened, "Well done, Rouge."

The snowy white bat smiled as the ultimate life form passed by. Maybe there was still hope for him. With a quick yank, the huntress stuffed it back into one of the many pockets littering her suit. The door began hissing shut again as the treasure huntress jumped inside before it closed completely with a loud clank, leaving only the sound of the wind hand in hand with silence.

-

"Sir," a small orange worker drone announced, "There has been an unapproved opening in sector forty-seven."

"Hm," a figure, a human one, hummed, drumming his fingers on the armrest of his large chair.

Clad in a red and black mech suit, Doctor Ivo Robotnik, world renowned genius and super villain, contemplated the situation with a small smirk, his small black shaded glasses glinting under the bright yellow light illuminating the room.

The room was littered with multiple monitors showing him most of the main halls and chambers of the ship. Red and green lights occasionally flickered on the computers in the large circular room, giving off small, almost feeble beeps that rang through the doctor's ears.

Turning the chair to face a large window that gave him a view of the front of his ship an part of Station Square located below him, the genius' dry lips arched into a small smirk.

"Send in Squadron 13," the doctor finally ordered.

"Sir?" the small drone questioned, as if unwilling to believe the words that had just escaped his lips.

"Must I repeat myself?" Robotnik asked in return, never looking away from the large window, "Or shall I turn you into a tin can?"

Frightened, the small drone immediately beeped and turned to stalk out of the room, a large metallic door hissing open and shut after it left.

"I knew you would come, Sonic and Shadow," the doctor drawled to himself in an amused tone, "Too bad this time none of you are leaving here alive."

-

Shadows danced across the floor, ceiling and roof of the metallic structure the small group of heroes was currently slowly and quietly traveling through. Even Amy Rose, infamous for her loud and sometimes obnoxious mouth was as quiet as a mouse in this situation, adding on to the fact that what they were doing was seriously dangerous and risky.

Sonic was in front, peeking around corridors to make sure the coast was clear. Amy was behind the azure hero, clinging to the fur on his back for dear life. Tails, the young two tailed fox genius was behind the pink hedgehog, a small laser gun in hand, a courageous yet fearful look on his face.

Behind her was Rouge the Bat, a small GPS device in hand, leading them in the right direction. Behind the huntress were Knuckles and Shadow, both covering the rear of the group to avoid any unfriendly sneak attacks.

"We're about to enter a large circular room," Rouge announced quietly, hoping everyone would hear, "My scanner shows there is movement in there."

Sonic turned his head back slightly, his upper face hidden in the darkness. All Rouge could see was his mouth arching into a toothy grin.

_'If only I had your confidence, Sonic,'_ the bat thought as they proceeded to another large door.

Pressing a large crimson button next to the door, the giant metal structure hissed open, smoke blowing out of small air vents from its sides.

Motioning for the rest to follow, Sonic entered the room, which was the same as the rest of the base: completely dark. Knuckles, Rouge, Tails, and Amy followed in without question.

Only Shadow hesitated slightly before entering the room and for good reason to, as it hissed shut right after he stepped foot into the dark chamber.

"What?" Sonic asked in shock, whirling around at the noise, refusing to believe what it represented.

They were trapped.

"Damn," Knuckles cursed under his breath. An obvious trap, They should've listened to Rouge.

Bright white lights suddenly illuminated the room, seeming to shine from everywhere and nowhere. It was as if the whole chamber was totally surrounded in lights. It wasn't enough to cause harm to the eye, but enough for everyone to see the chamber clearly.

They were in what looked like a laboratory. White machines and instruments littered the room, beeping with red and blue lights. A large generator hummed in the corner of the chamber, which was fairly large when compared to other normal rooms.

"_Welcome Sonic, and of course, all his little companions,"_ an all-to familiar voice chuckled darkly, his voice seeming to echo around the room.

"Eggman," Sonic hissed, spitting the name out like a piece of bad meat, "I didn't think even you would sink so low!"

Another chuckle echoed through the chamber, causing everyone to bring up their guards in case of an attack.

"_Why, whatever do you mean, my admirable adversary?"_

"You know damn well what I mean!" Sonic roared at the top of his voice, "How could you attack the city when it was defenseless? How could you be so spineless?"

"_I merely saw it as an opportunity Sonic, not an act of cowardice,"_ Robotnik retorted, his voice calm and collected, as if they were discussing today's weather.

"Whatever," Knuckles interrupted, hot-headed by the Doctor's taunts, "Let us out of here before I smash this room to bits!"

A long pause filled the room, giving Amy and Tails the chills.

Finally, Eggman cleared his throat and spoke, _"I will, my dear echidna. But first, you must take care of my special squad."_

Shadow raised a brow, seemingly uninterested by the whole situation, "Get on with it, Doctor."

Another chuckle.

"_Very well, ultimate life form...**Squadron 13, attack**!"_

As if rehearsed, or simply by their leader's command, five small shadows dropped from the ceiling, their backs arched forward, giving them a ghostly appearance. Everyone's eyes widened at the sight of their new opponents.

"Shadow clones?" Sonic asked in disbelief, remembering the incident with Metal Sonic.

Eggman or Metal, which either one was in control, made hundreds of organic and metallic copies of the original Shadow in an attempt to create an all-powerful army.

And indeed, the figures in front of the heroes were exact copies of the dark hedgehog, but they were not metallic.

"New and improved?" Shadow asked sarcastically, "I don't remember fighting these kind of clones during the Black Arms invasion."

"_That's because, as you said Shadow, these are new, my near-ultimate creations, five clones of the ultimate life form. They have your speed and your power, Shadow. I used some blood samples I had from the Ark incident to create these."_

Sonic's lips twitched into a playful smirk, "So you're saying these Shadow clones are just as powerful as the original was, back on Ark?"

"_Correct, are you ready to admit defeat yet?"_

A dark laughter suddenly filled the area, bringing chills to everyone. It alerted everyone in the room for one simple reason, it wasn't Eggman. Looking behind them, they saw Shadow with his head thrown back and laughing sinisterly.

Amy backed up slightly, scared of the dark hedgehog. Was this really him? She had never heard Shadow laugh that way before.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Doctor," Shadow snarled, his eyes boring into the lifeless ones of his five clones, "But my powers now outclass the ones of my past self."

"_What?"_ Eggman asked in a curious tone.

"Let me show you," Shadow whispered with a malicious smirk, darting forward so fast that only Sonic could follow his movements.

A wave of compressed air blew the group's fur and quills into distortion as Shadow charged at the five clones, his fists waving back and forth in rhythm with his skating movements. Before anyone could register what had happened, the clone on the far left fell to the ground with a thud.

"_What happened?"_ Eggman practically screamed over his intercom, his voice raising a pitch.

The original Shadow appeared again, this time on the left of the clone on the far right. With a swing of his arms, the ultimate life form swiftly broke the back of the copy in two separate places, causing two sickening cracks to echo through the air.

Amy's eyes widened out of shock as she pressed Tails' face against her stomach, not wanting the young minor to be exposed to such death.

Sonic watched on as Shadow darted to the middle copy hedgehog and rammed his elbow straight into his nose, causing the organic creation to fall to the ground in a heap as well. Knuckles watched on, trying to not let any emotion or reactions show by his physical appearance. But the honest truth was, he was a little disturbed at Shadow's swift killing.

The black and red hedgehog had not even paused before killing his clones, which were not even robots. They were living, breathing creatures just like themselves.

Rouge's mouth was completely dry. She could only watch in horror as the former member of Team Dark chopped the fourth clone in the neck, making it emit a small, pathetic cry before falling to the ground as well.

"That leaves only you," Shadow mocked with a dark smile, his eyes on the last clone, his form arched forward to give him a more intimidating appearance.

Before anyone could even utter a word of protest, Shadow disappeared, reappearing behind the startled clone. With a quick jab, the ultimate life form broke the skull of the fake. Red eyes widened slightly before the last clone fell.

"I'm not too impressed," the ultimate life form hissed sadistically, "I thought you said these were my copies?"

There was a long, painful pause that hung in the air.

Eggman finally cleared his throat, _"How did you improve so much?"_

"Hm hm hm hm, curious of my new powers Doctor?" Shadow asked sarcastically, his voice so deep and low that it could've frightened Chaos himself.

The door that was blocking their path suddenly hissed open as Eggman spoke again, "_A deal is a deal, you may proceed."_

"Wise choice," Shadow snorted before walking through the door slowly, paying no heed to the stunned crowd, still shocked from the ultimate life form's ruthless display of violence.

* * *

Author's Note: Since this chapter is a little short, the next one will be coming your way a little earlier. Look out for Chapter 12 tomorrow!


	12. Metal Apocalypse

Chapter 12- Metal Apocalypse

Rouge the Bat breathed heavily as she rounded another corner, hot on Sonic and Shadow's trail. Following her were Tails, Amy, and Knuckles. Lights swept over her features in rhythm, temporarily illuminating her stone-like gaze. Her facial expression was meant to hide what was going on inside her mind: Fear and confusion.

Shadow had just single-handily taken down five organic clones that Eggman had created, all with powers equal to his own two years ago on Ark. But he had disposed of them so easily. They weren't merciful killings either. Shadow ruthlessly snapped and broke bones, killing the clones with one simple attack each.

Had he become a mindless killing machine? No. He wasn't mindless at all. He was cunning, smart and knew how to turn the tide in a battle in less than a second.

So...the word to describe him now would be nothing short of sinister.

"Rouge," Knuckles called, wrecking the bat girl's train of thought.

The huntress blinked before realizing that she had stopped in the middle of the long hallway. She noticed that Amy and Tails were just making a left, disappearing down another corridor, obviously still following Sonic and Shadow.

Knuckles was the only one that had stopped for her.

The echidna paused and started jogging in the direction of the others, "Snap out of it bat girl, we need you on this one."

Rouge blinked again and nodded, following Knuckles down the long, dark hallway.

-

"You were a fool to let them go," a dark robotic voice sneered from the shadows of Eggman's control room.

"Don't scowled me, you worthless tin can! You'd be dead if it wasn't for me!" the Doctor shot back, his brows angling inwards, physically showing his annoyance and anger.

"That is why I will help you now. Your end of the deal is complete, leave the rest to my organization," the other voice explained calmly, only this time it seemed to originate from a little farther to the left than the first although it sounded exactly the same, "Besides, I have a debt to repay to that blue hedgehog as well."

"Then wait on the main landing platform outside and take care of them," Eggman commanded, pointing at the large door of the metallic room.

Two pairs of bright red eyes flared out of the darkness, but only one voice spoke, "With pleasure."

-

"We're right outside of the control center," Tails announced, holding a small gloved hand against his face to keep his fur and the wind out of his eyes.

They were on a large crimson outlined platform with a metallic silver decorating the inside of the rectangular zone.

"This must be a landing zone of some sort," Rouge commented.

It hadn't taken them long to find the main control room where Eggman was located. In fact, it was right in front of them. A large dark red tower hovered above them and the landing zone, multiple antennas sticking out of its peak.

At the bottom was a large silver door with a small green box next to it, obviously to enter in a code in order to enter the room.

"So how do we get in?" Amy questioned curiously, leaning against Sonic. The pink hedgehog's fur was also blowing furiously in the wind since they were now outside so she needed another hedgehog shield like when they were in the desert.

Sonic squeezed one eye shut as Amy's pink hair blew against it, "I'm not sure, maybe we should just smash it open."

"I don't think that will be necessary," Shadow's deep voice commented.

The black and red ultimate life form was next to Sonic and Amy, his arms crossed.

Tails' ears perked up, "What do you mea--"

The young fox suddenly cut himself off when the door hissed and slowly opened with a loud grinding sound. A silhouette stood in the now open doorway, red embers burning into the green ones of Sonic.

"Welcome...Sonic, my loathsome copy."

Sonic's grass-green hues widened, "Metal Sonic!"

The figure stepped out of the shadows to reveal itself as the door hissed shut behind it. Indeed, it was the famed hero's robotic copy. He was just as everyone remembered him during their fight against him a year ago. He seemed to be in his upgraded form, the one he was in just before he turned into the Metal Overlord: Neo Metal Sonic.

His light brown cape filled with multiple design patterns blew around his waist furiously as he stepped out onto the windy platform.

"I haven't seen you for a year metal-head," Sonic taunted, "Did your master decide to let you out to play again?"

Metal's eyes instantly narrowed, his silver fists tightening, "Do not make any mistakes, you disgusting organic. I no longer serve that fat idiot, I simply waited for the perfect chance to kill you."

"Really?" Sonic asked with a smirk, "Don't you remember what happened the last time you tried to kill me, Mister man-skirt?"

"The past will not repeat itself here," Metal Sonic replied bluntly, his metallic hands loosening again.

"I won't waste my time on a weakling like you," Shadow suddenly interrupted, turning his head to look at Sonic, "That idiot over there can handle you."

"Do not think so high of yourself, ultimate life form," the metallic hedgehog sneered, "I still have your data copied onto my hard drive."

Shadow huffed and closed his eyes, "And as I said, I will not waste my time on the likes of you, weakling."

"We'll see," Metal deadpanned, his jets activating as he charged at Shadow full speed.

The ultimate life form's calm demeanor only enraged the cybernetic hedgehog more when suddenly, he made a sharp right turn, heading straight for Amy and Rouge.

Drawing his clawed hand forward, the metallic hedgehog would have surely smirked if he had a mouth, "Take this!"

Thrusting his hand towards the white bat which was closest to him, his eyes widened when he only came into contact with air.

"How pathetic," a deep voice sneered from behind him.

Turning his head slightly, he saw Shadow standing next to him with his fist raised, a still bewildered Rouge under his left arm. Swinging his arm down, it made direct contact with the metallic creature, sending him tumbling onto the floor.

Shadow nonchalantly dropped Rouge onto the ground, making the white bat to squeal out of surprise.

"You attack a defenseless female to try and win your battle, you disgust me!" the ebony hedgehog growled as Metal Sonic rose to his feet.

Metal's red eyes narrowed, "So, the ultimate life form does care of what happens to his comrades?"

"Don't kid yourself," Shadow sneered, "I needed them to help me find Eggman."

"Then why did you save the bat if you have already found him?" Metal asked, drawing his claws forward.

"...It is of no concern to you," the crimson-tinted hedgehog responded as he charged at Metal, his jet shoes flaring under him.

Metal Sonic barely had time to duck as Shadow's leg swept over him. Performing a spin in mid-air, the ultimate life form smirked as he hooked his fist into the fake hedgehog's metallic stomach with a loud pang. Grunting, the fake Sonic flew back and hit the wall of the control tower with a loud thud.

"Sonic," Shadow called, getting the blue hedgehog's attention, "Give me the Chaos Emeralds that you have!"

Sonic paused for a moment but pulled out the mystical gems, tossing them both to Shadow. It were the two they had used in the fight against Algos, the light and dark blue emeralds.

Shadow caught the two with ease and smirked as their glow illuminated his face, "I need a lot of power for this next move."

Releasing the two emeralds, they slowly began to spin around his head. Tightening his fists, Shadow closed his eyes as the two emeralds began to accelerate.

Slowly, light and dark blue mist drifted out of the spinning emeralds, curling around each of Shadow's fists. His right was absorbing the dark blue while his left was absorbing the lighter shaded emerald's mist.

Blood red eyes suddenly shot open as the emeralds fell to the ground beside him, the energy covering his fists spinning around them violently.

"Take this!" Shadow roared as he darted forward towards the still rising Metal Sonic.

Red embers widened as Shadow's left fist dug into Metal Sonic's exposed chest, sending him flying against the wall again.

The metallic hedgehog would have surely slumped down from the attack but Shadow was already there, pounding the metallic one's chest and stomach furiously with his two powered up fists.

Metal Sonic's titanium plating and armor slowly began to dent and crumble as Shadow continued the merciless assault, his ruby eyes glinting evilly. The metallic wall Metal Sonic was being pounded into also slowly began to form a large dent as Shadow drove him further into the wall.

Finally, just as fast as it had started, the pummeling ceased as Shadow jumped back with the two orbs still in his hands. Metal Sonic was pushed so far into the now dented wall that he was simply laying in the large dent, not moving an inch.

Shadow smiled sadistically as he pulled both of his arms back, "Chaos..."

Then, too fast for Metal Sonic and everyone else except for Sonic to catch, Shadow threw both orbs at the metallic copy, "...**Fury**!"

Both blue orbs hit their mark with a thunderous explosion accompanied by a large cloud of metallic debris and smoke. Shadow suddenly dropped to one knee out of exhaustion, panting heavily. Even with the power of two emeralds, that attack still took too much out of him. He had to train more, he had to become stronger.

"Holy shit," Sonic yelled in awe after seeing Shadow's attack, "That was bad-ass!"

The blue blur ran over to his companion and patted him on the back, "Nice job, Shads!"

"Shut up," Shadow responded coldly, his eyes never leaving the cloud of smoke still lingering in the air, "It's not over yet."

On cue, a blue figure burst from the smoke and rammed Sonic in the stomach. The blue hedgehog's eyes went wide for a second before he was sent sailing a few yards away, rolling on the ground until he came to a halt.

"I have to admit," a robotic voice announced, "That was impressive, Shadow the Hedgehog."

The dark hedgehog smirked, wincing slightly as he put one hand on his knee, standing back up, "I'm glad you find my methods acceptable."

The blue robot dusted some metallic scrap off his shoulder, his eyes wavering to the left, "I didn't think I would have to transform to beat you all here."

"Don't get so cocky," Sonic screamed, furiously charging for his metallic copy, "After that cheap shot!"

The blue hedgehog lunged forward as Metal Sonic simply side-stepped, kneeing the hero in the gut. Blood suddenly gushed from Sonic's mouth as he collapsed onto the floor, wheezing.

"Pathetic," Metal Sonic spat, redirecting his attention towards Shadow, "It seems you're the only one here worthy to fight me."

The ultimate life form smirked, "I wouldn't underestimate the idiot if I were you, metal-head."

After those taunting words left Shadow's lips, Sonic immediately sprang up and sweep kicked his copy.

The bewildered Metal Sonic was too stunned to react, letting Sonic follow up with a back flip, smashing his foot into Metal's back during the performance. The metallic hedgehog grunted out of pain and was sent tumbling into the air.

Shadow smirked and used his jet shoes to shoot off the ground, coming to waist level of the airborne Metal Sonic and driving his elbow into his chest. Circuits sizzled as the cyborg flew back down and smashed into the ground with a loud and thunderous clank, creating a large dent on the smooth metallic surface.

"Very well," Metal Sonic droned, rising to his feet, the cape at his waist fluttering in the wind, "I shall unleash my full power!"

"Hold it," another voice suddenly interrupted, a voice that everyone was too familiar with.

"Eggman," Knuckles spat, pushing Tails and Amy behind him protectively.

Sure enough, the sadistic Doctor was there, hovering over all of them in his private, one-man ship.

"I'm surprised that all of you have improved so much," Eggman taunted, "Those two hedgehogs are both strong and on the same level, the rest of you aren't that much weaker," he finished, motioning towards Sonic and Shadow.

Shadow's red eyes went wide. Him, on the same level as that blue moron? He looked at Sonic, who was grinning childishly, rubbing his nose. No, he was stronger than he was!

"You are a fool," Shadow hissed, his body glowing a violent fuchsia, "To believe that this moron is my equal!"

Eggman waved his finger, "Touchy, aren't you?"

"Metal Sonic," Eggman hollered, getting the blue robot's attention, "Undergo your transformation now!"

Metal's synthetic mouth twisted into a crooked smirk, "Gladly."


	13. Scars of the Heart

Chapter 13- Scars of the Heart

"Hm," Eggman taunted, pressing a few buttons on his floating device, "I shall now call forth my latest and greatest creation! Behold!"

At the very same moment, Metal Sonic raised his left arm high over his shoulder, summoning a crackling blue vibe of energy in his hand, "Prepare for your downfall!"

Two simultaneous explosions boomed through the air, alarming everyone.

The red and silver metal of the ship crumbled and ripped off the skeleton of the ship, flying towards Metal Sonic, who was currently lifting into the air, the blue lighting-like energy now surrounding his whole body like a shield of electricity.

His own metal platings lifted off his body, momentarily showing off his interior of wires and circuits before it was surrounded again, this time by a crimson red and metallic silver armor. The cape he had been wearing was burned easily by the crackling energy as the metal of the ship continued to pile onto Metal's body, making him grow larger by the second.

Sonic's grass green hues widened, recognizing the transformation his metallic counterpart was going under. Shadow held his position along with Sonic and the rest of his awe stricken group. On Eggman's end, a large robot the same coloring as his ship and Metal's new plating erupted from the ship, sending metal flying everywhere and causing fires to erupt.

The ship shook violently, causing Amy, Rouge and Tails to lose their footing.

It was a giant, metallic winged serpent. It's red and silver armor glinted under the sun as it hissed violently, its large silver wings flapping in the air to keep it afloat. Eggman laughed maniacally as he flew to the head of the serpent.

A large panel hissed open between the serpent's shinning sapphire eyes as the much smaller vehicle Eggman was using flew inside.

The panel hissed shut as smoke spewed from the sides of the opening.

"**Behold**," Eggman's voice boomed in the air, "**The Egg Serpent**!"

At that very moment, Metal Sonic finished his transformation as well. He looked exactly the same as last time when he had transformed into such a monstrous form, save for one key difference.

Instead of sapphire blue armor, the cybernetic copy now had a fierce crimson coat accompanied by a silver that mirrored that of a sword.

"**Bow down to me, for I am Metal Overlord**!" Metal Sonic roared.

Metal Overlord and the Egg Serpent both roared furiously at the exact same second, causing the heavens themselves to shake.

Sonic cracked his neck with a smirk, "All right, let's show these guys what we can do!"

Shadow popped his knuckles by simply tightening his hands into fists, "Of course."

Another explosion rocked the air.

Knuckles cursed as he landed beside both hedgehogs, "We don't have that much time guys, it looks like the ship is coming down!"

The echidna's theory was proven by a powerful rumble, followed by another explosion. Rouge wiped some sweat off her face, what was Eggman trying to do? He was sacrificing his own ship just to kill them?

She looked back at Metal Overlord and the Egg Serpent.

Both were about the same size, Eggman's robot was only a little bit larger than Metal. Both were also currently airborne, which might prove to be difficult to combat for Sonic, Shadow and Knuckles since they were not in their Super forms.

The bat sighed heavily, she hoped things would turn out okay.

Sonic strolled over to the spot where the two emeralds Shadow had used earlier were. Picking them up, one by one, Sonic tossed the dark blue one to Shadow, keeping the icy blue one for himself. Shadow caught his emerald with ease and nodded at Sonic. The blue hedgehog looked at Knuckles. The Master Emerald guardian nodded approvingly as well.

"Let's roll!" Sonic roared, charging forward at full speed.

Shadow and Knuckles both dashed after him, branching off after they were gaining on the position of their two monstrous enemies. Shadow went to the right, Knuckles ran to the left, and Sonic headed straight down the middle.

-

Shadow's jet shoes flared as he skated up a large metallic ramp, barely avoiding multiple rounds of machine gun fire from the Egg Serpent.

The ultimate life form started weaving left and right as rockets were sent his way courtesy of Metal Overlord. He increased his speed some more, his vision funneling inwards, the corners of his visibility starting to blur.

Smirking, the dark hedgehog borrowed some of the Chaos Emerald's energy, his other hand beginning to glow a brilliant gold.

"Chaos Spear," Shadow shouted, a light yellow bolt of energy shooting from his hand and towards Metal Overlord.

The giant robot's wings flapped furiously as he rose in altitude to avoid the attack. The Chaos Spear whizzed by harmlessly. Shadow scowled as he flipped off of the now almost vertical wall, landing on the ground with his knees and hands on the hard metallic surface.

"Gotcha!" another voice shouted, the one belonging to Sonic the Hedgehog.

The blue speedster had used Shadow's attack as a distraction to get closer to the airborne enemy. Smiling, Sonic spotted a large vertical wall not too far from himself, leading directly towards the airborne metal monster.

Using his right leg as a brake by stiffing it out forward, Sonic made a sharp turn and headed towards the wall. With a leap, the blue hedgehog planted his feet on the wall securely a second before taking off, his arms flailing behind his body.

As he sped by, the windows near him shattered from the sheer pressure of the air the hedgehog was creating with his speedy movements. Summoning the energy of the emerald within his hand, Sonic created a large spiraling sphere of icy blue energy in his right hand.

Catching the end of the wall with the corner of his eye, Sonic bent his knees as far down as he could before shooting off the wall with a loud boom, heading straight towards Metal Overlord.

"Shining Lance!"

Metal Overlord saw the attack coming but could not maneuver his large body away from the blue hedgehog's charge. He was going to be hit. Grass-green hues widened as a violet beam of energy whizzed right by him, sending him flying back towards the large metal wall.

Grabbing onto a rouge rail sticking out of the otherwise flat surface, Sonic let the Shining Lance disappear. Looking up, he saw the Egg Serpent hovering next to Metal Overlord.

Sonic's brows furrowed, he had totally forgotten about Eggman in the sheer adrenaline rush produced by the attack.

Flipping over so that he was crouched above the rail like a cat, Sonic shot from the pole and landed on the horizontal platform of the falling ship in a crouched position. Knuckles had taken the opportunity of the distraction as well and charged his own attack in his left hand, sailing towards the Egg Serpent with both of his powerful arms outstretched in front of him.

"Thunder Arrow!" the echidna shouted as he released the attack, sending it flying towards Eggman's metallic monstrosity.

"**Not good enough**!" Metal Overlord snarled as he raised his right arm, the one that had his huge silver claw attached to it.

A sapphire shield materialized in front of both villains in less than a second. The Thunder Arrow was absorbed into the shied as it rippled, mimicking a rock just thrown into a pond. Knuckles cursed and landed next to Sonic.

Not a second after, Shadow also joined the two, "We're just wasting energy here."

Sonic nodded at the ultimate life form. He knew Metal and Eggman were just wearing them out until they were exhausted, planning to strike then.

"And what do you suggest we do?" Knuckles asked with crossed arms.

"Give me an opening," Shadow retorted with his upper lip raised, showing off his canines, "One chance will be good enough for me to destroy one of them."

"Look out!" Sonic suddenly shouted.

The other two immediately looked up to see the Thunder Arrow Knuckles had shot flying towards them at twice the speed the echidna had launched it at. Shadow growled out of irritation and jumped back to avoid the attack. The yellow energy bolt hit the ground with a small boom, scorching the crimson metallic surface.

"Give me the other emerald!" Shadow commanded.

Sonic nodded unsurely and tossed the emerald towards the black and red hedgehog. The ultimate life form easily caught the powerful gem and squeezed it within his hand tightly.

_'Let's see if I can pull this off,'_ the ebony hedgehog thought.

"Now!"

Knuckles and Sonic immediately sprinted off, both in different direction while Shadow remained stationary and started absorbing the two emerald's powers.

"Sonic Wind!" Sonic commanded, sending a wave of sky-blue energy at the Egg Serpent.

The giant snake released a rocket to counter the attack. Both energy and metal met in a large fiery red explosion that shook the skies.

Sonic smirked and used the temporary smoke cloud as a cover, shooting into the sky and bolting through the cloud, the shinning of the emeralds and the flaming of his jet shoes illuminating his body. Knuckles gathered another Thunder Arrow and threw it at Metal Overlord in order to keep his attention away from Sonic.

The familiar sapphire shield shimmered to life again, absorbing the attack. Not a second later, the echidna's attack was sent back at him faster than before. Knuckles grit his teeth and barely avoided the attack before landing on the ground again.

Another explosion from the falling ship rocked the air, making the Master Emerald guardian stumble slightly.

_'We don't have much time left.'_

-

Letting loose a primal yell, Sonic gathered two Shining Lances, one in each hand. Forcefully pushing them together, he created a much larger sphere of blue energy. Wind brushed through his quills from the attack and the surrounding air as the larger Shining Lance illuminated his face, confidence radiating from it.

Reeling his arm back, Sonic's muscles tensed.

"Shining Lance!" Sonic shouted, launching the orb at the open and still surprised Eggman, just as a pitcher would throw a baseball.

The attack hit its mark. With a loud and thunderous explosion, the Shining Lance hit the Egg Serpent's left eye, completely destroying it and causing its whole head to sizzle.

"**Curse you Sonic**!" Eggman shouted as he maneuvered his giant robot higher into the sky above the flaming Egg Carrier.

-

With a fully charged Chaos Spear in his right hand, Shadow leaped from platform to platform, getting closer and closer to Metal Overlord.

"I have to wait until his shield is down," the ultimate life form muttered to himself as he landed on the highest platform, right below the metallic beast.

After a few seconds of waiting, the wind ruffling his quills and fur violently, Shadow saw his opening. The shield around Metal Overlord began to diminish before it disappeared. The second it did, Shadow shot off at incredible speed.

"Chaos..."

The giant airborne robot barely recognized the impending danger of the ultimate life form before it was too late. Appearing right above his giant crimson and silver head, Shadow's right arm, sizzling with the power of his Chaos Spear, shot forward.

"...**Spear**!"

Metal burned and was crushed under the force of the ultimate life form's attack, making the metallic menace shriek out in pain.

"**AAHHHHHHHHH**!"

Shadow smirked as he landed on the smoldering head of the metal monster, his ebony and crimson body glowing a hellish red.

"**Chaos Blast**!" Shadow shouted at the top of his lungs, sending a huge wave of red energy shooting outwards in all directions.

-

Sonic's eyes widened as he landed after having damaged the Egg Serpent. Something was illuminating the blue sky a dark shaded fuchsia! Turning his head, he saw Metal Overlord being enveloped by the attack. The sphere of energy was huge, at least a hundred feet in diameter!

'_It must be Shadow and his Chaos Blast_,' the cerulean hedgehog thought.

The blue blur smiled dryly, so this was what happened if Shadow absorbed the power of two Chaos Emeralds.

-

Amy and Tails cheered from the sidelines as they saw Metal Overlord start to plummet to his doom.

Rouge smiled, hiding her mixed emotions inside. Sure, the metal monster was probably defeated now, but was killing him really necessary?

Sonic wouldn't have killed his metallic counterpart, not even Knuckles would have.

...Only Shadow.

-

Shadow smirked sadistically as he shot off the now falling robot, it's fiery embers representing eyes slowly fading into darkness. It's giant body began to accelerate towards the main deck of the ship, metal and armor falling off it like a snake shedding its skin. Shadow's smirk faded, the others were still down there!

Should he save them? Or should he leave them? The ultimate life form paused, had he really just contemplated on saving two females and a child? Shaking his head, Shadow warped off Metal Overlord, appearing right beside Rouge.

He gave the startled bat no time to ask any questions, simply grabbing her by the waist.

Rouge blushed unwillingly at being so close to the black and red hedgehog as Shadow grabbed both Amy and Tails by the wrists, pulling them to him so that they were all touching the black hedgehog.

"Hold on," the bio-engineered hedgehog announced before warping them all away in a mere blink of time.

-

A red light illuminated the other side of the large landing platform as Shadow, Rouge, Tails and Amy appeared there. The black hedgehog released them all, first Amy and Tails, then Rouge.

The bat looked at the ultimate life form unsurely, "Thank you, Shadow."

Shadow snorted and turned away, "Don't expect me to save you next time."

At the dark hedgehog's dark and cold words, Rouge's heart fooled her into thinking it stopped. She was brought back to reality by the sound of Amy's voice.

"How could you be so mean?" the pink hedgehog demanded, stepping forward.

The dark hedgehog snorted again and warped away.

Amy threw her hands into the air out of frustration, "What a jerk--"

Then she paused, scooting closer to Rouge with a small smirk, "But a hot jerk."

The bat almost tripped over her own feet, "What?"

-

The second Shadow appeared beside Knuckles and Sonic, who had both regrouped, he sidestepped to avoid a spray of machine gun fire. The Egg Carrier rumbled again, this time stronger than before.

Shadow glanced over his shoulder to see a large fire burning in on the other half of the landing platform. It was Metal Sonic, he was no more.

"I see you're having trouble," the ultimate life form commented sarcastically.

"Put a sock in it," Knuckles shot back half-heartily, as if the insult was instinct.

Sonic's eyes suddenly widened as the Egg Serpent's head shot forward, "Look out!"

Knuckled immediately rolled to the side and Sonic jumped at an angled position to avoid the attack, but Shadow was not quick enough, his eyes still not redirected off of the fallen Metal Overlord. The giant head of the snake robot hit the tiny-by-comparison hedgehog full-force, sending him flying into a nearby wall with a crash.

A sickening sound of flesh meeting metal echoed through the air as Shadow slumped against the wall, a mere rag doll. Blood slowly oozed out of the ultimate life form's mouth and nose as his head dropped forward.

"Shadow!" Sonic called out frantically, dashing towards his fallen comrade.

Eggman laughed manically from his control room of the Egg Serpent, "**One down, two to go**!"


	14. Darkness Emerges

Chapter 14- Darkness Emerges

Sonic violently shook his dark counterpart slouched against the wall while his echidna friend stood over both of them to make sure Eggman would not launch another surprise attack.

"Come on man," Sonic called frantically, "Wake up."

"Shadow!" the duo heard a female voice call.

To their horror, Tails, Amy and Rouge were all sprinting towards them. They had seen Shadow being hit and took off without a seconds thought or contemplation.

"Is he all right?" Tails asked, skidding to a halt and bending down to examine the black and red hedgehog.

"Does he look all right to you?" Rouge asked frantically, grabbing the black hedgehog by his shoulders.

The black and red hedgehog heard the voices. Only they were becoming more distant. It was as if he was fading away from them. He wanted to answer them, but he couldn't.

_'Why can't I answer them...What is this feeling...a thirst?'_

_If only you had power..._

"Look out!" Tails shouted, causing the entire group to jump away from the fallen hedgehog to avoid some machine gun fire courtesy of the Egg Serpent.

Shadow's rag doll-like body slumped to the side of the metallic wall he was slouched against.

_To kill him..._

"We have to take him down now!" Sonic shouted.

"What about Shadow?" Amy asked, concerned for the dark hedgehog's well being.

'_They worry about me_.'

'**No, they weaken you**!'

_To avenge them..._

"Sonic Wind," Sonic shouted, sending a wave of blue energy at the Egg Serpent.

The ship rocked violently, causing Shadow to tumble a few feet away from his previous spot, still completely motionless.

'**Have you forgotten**?'

'**Let me remind you**...'

_Flashback _

_Shadow gulped as he stood before the door that lead to the observatory. Something just didn't seem right, where was everyone? Why was it so dark, why was there not one single sound on the entire station?_

_The ultimate life form shook his head, pulling a small switch that would open the door._

_The large door slid open with a loud hiss as the young hedgehog entered the giant room. The glow from the Earth below was the only thing illuminating the room. _

_Shadow stepped into the room, the door sliding closed behind him. His eyes scanned the room, finally resting on the central platform. And what he saw almost made him vomit, cry, and scream at the same time._

_There, lying in a puddle of her own blood illuminated by the eerie glow of the moon, was the young Maria Robotnik, her grandfather Gerald protectively sprawled over her lifeless body._

_Both were completely motionless. It was not a hard task to figure out that the two were no longer alive. Tears started involuntarily flowing from Shadow's eyes. How? Why? _

_A sudden movement made Shadow perk up, standing in a defensive position, still scared to death._

_His ruby-red eyes picked out a silhouette that stood against the eerie glowing window of the room, his outline making it obvious that it was a hedgehog, one taller and probably older than Shadow. His stance was statue-like and his fists were clenched at his sides. The head of the shadow was turned to the side._

"_Who are you?" Shadow managed to ask timidly through chocked sobs._

_The young black hedgehog pushed back another sob, the corner of his eye still drowning in the image of Maria and Gerald laying before him, slaughtered._

_The phantom turned towards the young hedgehog after a small pause, eerie silver eyes glowing through the darkness and focused onto Shadow._

_Young Shadow's eyes widened. No, it couldn't be, it was impossible._

_The stranger lifted his foot, stepping closer to the two corpses and Shadow. Waves of shadows and moonlight rolled over his expressionless face, revealing it completely under the glow of the Earth below._

"_Brother?" Shadow asked in shock, not wanting to believe in his idol's presence "What are you-why are you"-_

"_Foolish brother," the older hedgehog interrupted, his voice cold and nonchalant._

_Shadow's teary red eyes widened but he managed to choke back a sob and speak,"What happened brother? Maria and Gerald, they're both dead."_

_The white hedgehog's face remained expressionless as he raised his right hand. It was completely covered in a deep, red liquid, so much that drops of it were rolling off his glove._

_It was blood._

_More tears streamed down Shadow's face, "No...no, you didn't. Why?"_

_There was a heavy silence after the young hedgehog's question. The taller hedgehog did not move at all, his unblinking eyes still focused intently on his younger sibling._

"_To rid myself of these attachments and rules. I had been bowing to someone inferior than myself for long enough, it was time to end it. I have a higher purpose in life than this, I am meant to be more powerful, as are you."_

_Shadow squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as his brother continued._

"_They were not expecting it, so it was quick."_

"_Where is everyone else?" Shadow managed to ask through more tears and chokes, opening his eyes._

_The tall hedgehog directed his gaze towards the window, with Shadow following._

_And the sight before him made the young hedgehog step back out of fear before vomiting onto the cold steel floor. In the vacuum of space, dozens of human bodies littered the area around the colony. They were all floating in no precise order or fashion. Their faces were all blue, due to the sheer coldness of the place they were in and the lack of oxygen. _

_There was no doubt that they were dead._

_Shadow fell to his knees when he heard his brother's voice again, "They on the other hand, saw my attacks coming, so to save precious energy, I simply shot them into space."_

_Shadow's ruby eyes suddenly flared with fury and hate as he shot up and charged for his brother._

_How could he do this? Why would he do this? Shadow didn't care, the young hedgehog only saw red._

"_**You Bastard**!" Shadow cried as he lunged at the more powerful hedgehog._

_Eclipse's nonchalant, almost lazy gaze never wavered. His smaller brother posed no real threat, and Shadow knew that better himself. Yet, he was still charging at him. _

_Foolish._

_The taller hedgehog simply jabbed Shadow in the stomach with lightning-fast precision to cause his assault to cease. Shadow collapsed onto the floor in a heap, his breath ragged and torn._

"_You are so weak, it disgusts me," Shadow heard his brother say from above him._

_Out of pure terror, the young hedgehog managed to scoot backwards, his gaze traveling to Eclipse's, never breaking it._

"_There is one simply reason I will let you live," the homicidal hedgehog explained, his eyes traveling from Shadow and towards the two corpses of Gerald and Maria, "You have the power to surpass me, to kill me."_

_Shadow continued to retreat when his brother appeared before him in a silent wisp of air and picked him up by the neck, raising him to eye level._

"_When you have awakened the powers that reside within you, seek me out. Until then, you aren't even worth killing."_

_Shadow shook his head, unwilling to believe what his brother was saying. This had to be a dream, it had to be!_

"_So, foolish brother, hate me, picture yourself standing over my fallen body, and once you have awakened, come before me."  
_

_The young ultimate life form didn't even have time to scream before he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. _

_The last thing he saw were the cold and emotionless eyes of his older brother, the one he had loved, the one he had looked up to, and the one that took everything from him._

_Then everything went black..._

_End Flashback _

'_Will they help me_?' Shadow contemplated in the very depths of his dark and twisted mind.

'**Or will they hinder you**?'

'_Who's there?_' Shadow's voice drifted, almost pathetically in his own dark mind.

'**You received a gift**...**so use it**!'

_Foolish brother..._

_You're still so weak..._

_You must have hate..._

_Sever your attachments..._

Yellow and ebony energy started to roll off Shadow's body like steam, sweat pouring down his face. The mental agony of the ultimate life form went unnoticed by the still too preoccupied heroes battling Doctor Robotnik.

His chest started to throb, the outline of an emerald clear within his white and ebony body.

_Flashback_

"_I'll admit your powers are impressive Shadow," the voice, undoubtedly belonging to Mephiles, hissed, "However, you are no match for me or your brother at your current level."_

_Bloody eyes widened when Shadow heard Mephiles mutter the next few words right behind him, "You're weak. But...I can change that. I can help you gain power, the power you so desperately chase after."_

_Blood sprayed from Shadow's mouth as he collapsed in a heap on the floor. Mephiles lowered his hand, having struck the hedgehog in the back of the head._

"_Pathetic, you'll never beat your brother," Mephiles hissed again, his eyes changing direction to point up into the sky._

_End Flashback _

"Amy, watch out!" Knuckles yelled as he shoved the pink hedgehog out of the way of an approaching rocket.

The she-hog shrieked out of surprise as Knuckles landed on top of her. Quickly rolling off, the guardian threw a Thunder Arrow at Eggman's approaching metallic snake. The waves of energy around Shadow's body increased substantially.

_Flashback _

_Shadow barely had time to register what had happened before the phantom was directly in front of him and thrust the hand with the shimmering object into his ebony and white tinted chest._

_The dark hedgehog's eyes widened, his mouth opened in shock and pain, "Uh--"_

_Sonic and Knuckles' eyes immediately widened as well._

_Amy put a hand to her mouth out of shock as Rouge yelled an emotional: "Shadow!"_

_It was if as time itself stood still, no one in the area dared to move or even breath. _

_Shadow's eyes were still wide as the frame-like feeling was broken by Mephiles, who removed his hand and jumped back a few feet. As soon as his feet touched the ground, the purple energy shield around the two disappeared._

_Without a second thought, everyone darted forward, mimicking the scene from earlier when Shadow got injured. _

_Rouge wrapped her arms around the hedgehog, checking for any blood on his wounded chest. Her eyes widened when there was no gash or bruise whatsoever._

"_What did you do to him?" Rouge shot at the dark phantom venomously._

_Mephiles chuckled, "I highly doubt that I'm obliged to answer your questions, little bat."_

"_Then answer me!" Sonic yelled, stepping forward, "What did you do to Shadow?"_

_Totally out of character, Mephiles shrugged, "Nothing, if you really think about it. All I did was give him a little gift."_

"_In the form of what?" Knuckles questioned angrily. This shady character was really beating around the bush, and it was starting to piss him off._

_Hollow green eyes devoid of any and all emotion turned to the echidna, "An emerald."_

_End Flashback _

The energy waves started to shift, as if having a will of its own, and burst to a large flame surrounding Shadow's body. Like it was aflame, crackles of energy sparked from his fallen form, dark flames settling around his body like a blanket.

-

_His mind was a deep, dark abyss._

_It shifted, contorted, until the ultimate life form found himself at the scene of the Ark massacre. Through all of the darkness, the rest of the scene drowned in gray, stood the young, seven-year old black and red hedgehog_

"_If only you had been stronger," a younger Shadow muttered almost silently to his taller and older version, who was gazing at him with wide eyes in the Ark's main observatory._

_The bodies of Maria and Gerald lay sprawled out between the two hedgehogs, blood oozing from under their bodies._

_The young hedgehog blinked, both of his ruby eyes suddenly flashing to a dark obsidian, "If only you had been endowed with the powers of darkness!"_

_-_

It all happened in less than a second. It seemed as if Shadow had been awakened from a dream. His eyes shot open, his chest throbbing with pain. He looked down, his hands gliding over his white-tinted chest to see the outline of a black emerald shinning from within his body.

Then, he stood up. This caught everyone's attention, even Eggman's.

Rouge had turned to him with a relieved smile, "Shadow--"

Her own voice died down in her throat at the sight of the dark hedgehog. What had happened?

His arms and upper back were hunched over as he rose, yellow and black energy dancing around him like a flame. It twisted, contorted as if it had a mind of its own, Shadow merely being its vessel.

The emerald throbbed again, this time sending a physical change throughout his body. Starting at the emerald's position, his fur began to change to a milky yellow, the same color change he went under when he transformed into his Super form.

"What in the world is going on?" Sonic questioned with wide eyes.

No one dared to move during the spectacle, not even Eggman.

His fur completely changed, even his bloody red highlights on his quills, arms and legs had disappeared under the new fur. It was as if the hedgehog was being consumed by his new fur. It soon covered his entire body that had once been covered by black and red fur.

The emerald throbbed once more, this time sending out a hot black color from its position on Shadow's chest. It looked as if Shadow's body was burning, hot flames dancing across his fur like a black wildfire.

To the others it seemed like some sort of disease, a plague, but Shadow's sadistic smirk told them all otherwise. His milky fur was being completely enveloped in the ebony-tinting color before the throbbing of the emerald died down, his fur completely changed.

It was as if he was in his Super form, the normal golden coat as his base fur color. However, there was something much different about this form. Shadow was completely covered in ebony, flame-mimicking patterns, only some of the golden fur still exposed.

Every part of his body that had fur on it was tinted with the black and yellow color, as if it were some kind of curse. His quills, his arms, his legs, absolutely everything.

With the sadistic smirk still plastered on his face, the outline of the emerald completely disappeared from his chest, the yellow and black energy around him being replaced with the golden one of his Super form, but mixed with a deep obsidian.

Everyone knew what it was called, no one had told them, it was as if it clicked in the back of their minds.

It was a Super form, but it was not pure, it was tainted with evil. This was the result of Mephiles' gift to Shadow; unfathomable power.

The Dark Super form.

* * *

Author's Note- This is where some Spider-Man references come in as well as Bleach (Black suite and Hollow form), especially with Shadow's new form. For the form, I also used Sasuke Uchiha's curse mark thingy as a base to work with. 


	15. The Beginning of the End

Chapter 15- The Beginning of the End

"Wh-Wh-What?" Sonic stuttered, unable to find the right words to describe the newly transformed Shadow.

The ultimate life form smirked sinisterly, his twisted snarl revealing his canines that were illuminated by the waves of black and yellow energy rolling off his body.

"**Interesting**," Eggman drawled from the Egg Serpent's cockpit, "**I've never seen such a thing before**."

At that moment, for the first time since the transformation, the dark, sinister looking hedgehog opened his bloody mouth, his lips still twisted into an unnatural smirk.

"It's the last thing you'll ever see."

His voice sounded deeper, more sinister than before. It was frightening. With a lighting fast motion as fluid as a running stream of water, Shadow brought both of his hands up to his sides, bending his elbows so his arms were shaped similar to "V"'s.

Then, he disappeared.

Shock overcame everyone's features when sudden machine gun fire hailed through the air. Spinning around, Sonic's mouth dropped. Shadow, in his newly transformed state, was skating up the body of the Egg Serpent, easily avoiding rockets and machine gun fire with fluid motions.

The flame around him was still present, shifting and contorting as if wanting to keep up with Shadow's unnatural speed.

"**Robots, attack him**!" Eggman commanded.

On the wish of their master, dozens of the newly-created silver-armored robotic units poured out of multiple doors of the Egg Carrier.

The ship shook violently again.

Sonic cursed under his breath and spat out some bitter tasting blood. They were cutting it close. He had no idea what happened to Shadow or what he was doing but he had better hurry.

Yellow light illuminated Shadow's black flame-patterned and yellow body as Eggman's robots blazed towards him. The first to shoot a rocket didn't know what or how it was destroyed in the following second.

Shadow had momentarily jumped off the surface of the flying Egg Serpent and caught the rocket under his arm, performing a full body spin and letting the rocket loose in the direction of its origin, hitting the robot that originally shot it.

Shadow smirked, showing off his white, blood-splattered teeth as he began releasing multiple Chaos Spears like it was nothing.

Each blast hit its mark perfectly and less than a minute after they had been summoned, all the robots had been destroyed, their metallic carcasses falling to the surface of the ship.

-

"What happened to him?" Amy asked, slightly frightened by this new Shadow's behavior and swift killing methods.

Sonic shook his head, "No idea."

The ship rumbled again, this time sending all five sprawling onto the ground.

Sonic grit his teeth in aggravation and turned to his echidna partner, "Knuckles, I need you to take Amy and Tails and get them to safety!"

"Wait a second," Amy roared, appalled at the thought of being left out, "Why should I leave? I can help too!"

Sonic's brows furrowed, he didn't have time to argue with the pink hedgehog right now.

"I'm sorry Amy," Sonic suddenly apologized.

Amy looked at him suspiciously, her gaze also hinted with curiosity, "For wha--"

She was cut off by Sonic who had swiftly moved behind her and jabbed her in the head lightly, knocking her out. Knuckles caught the falling female in his arms, holding her as a groom would a bride and beckoned Tails to him as well.

Sonic ruffled the young fox's head, "Watch out for those two for me, all right little bud?"

The two tailed genius nodded understandingly, "Sure thing Sonic."

He sprinted over to Knuckles and grabbed the echidna's leg. Sonic smiled, picking up the two emeralds that Shadow had left behind and tossing one to Knuckles. The red warrior caught it easily, adjusting the weight of the pink hedgehog in his arms so she wouldn't fall.

"Chaos Control," Sonic whispered after lacing his hand onto the red echidna's shoulder, and in a bright green flash, they were gone.

Sonic looked down upon the icy blue emerald in his hand, then to Rouge, who was observing the fight with a hurt-filled gaze.

-

"Is that all?" Shadow asked, more of so to mock the Doctor as he hovered in the air using his rocket shoes with his arms folded, the dark and yellow energy dancing around him like fire.

A cascade of rockets were sent flying his way as a retort.

The power-tainted ultimate life form smirked, using the full power of his technological footwear to avoid all rockets. Most of them hit the ship and some simply exploded in the air. Shadow could hear Eggman give off a frustrated growl.

The ebony and yellow hedgehog crossed his arms, "I'll give you to the count of three, _Doctor_, then you die."

"**Don't get so cocky, Shadow**!" Robotnik yelled.

The Egg Serpent reared its mouth wide open to reveal nothing but endless darkness. Slowly, a violet orb came to life in the dark abyss, one that grew larger by the second. The intense light of the orb highlighted Shadow's features, making the golden parts of his fur seem a cobalt blue.

"One."

The orb continued to grow until it was barely contained in the metallic snake's mouth, funnels of light waving off it.

"Two."

-

Sonic's eyes widened at the sight of his dark comrade simply hovering in the air in the face of Eggman's robot's most lethal attack.

"Get out of the way Shadow," Sonic screamed with a wave of his arm, as if beckoning the hedgehog above him to move.

"Shadow," Rouge screamed as well, "Move."

The nonverbal response they got from the hedgehog shocked them both to no end. He did not speak, only faced them for a split second with a maniacal grin on his face, one that seemed totally alien on his usual calm and stoic features.

One person flashed in their minds as Shadow turned to look at them, a person that seemed to have his face right next to Shadow's:

Mephiles.

"**FIRE**!"

The large violet orb suddenly erupted into a energy beam of the same color, enveloping Shadow and half of the visible sky.

"**SHADOW**!" Rouge screamed at the top of her lungs.

-

The smoke started to clear, the Egg Serpent's wings beating rhythmically in the air. Its huge mouth closed, Eggman's laughter filling the air soon after.

"**Hahaha, he was a fool to think he could withstand that att--"**

"Three."

Out of the large cloud of smoke burst the still very much alive Dark Super Shadow, completely unscathed. Eggman could not suppress a yelp of surprise as Shadow gathered a Chaos Spear in each hand.

Angeling his body to increase his speed, Shadow cut one of the Egg Serpent's wings clean off. The metal ripped and sizzled as the destroyed wing plummeted to the Egg Carrier's surface, landing with a loud crash.

The other wing of the metallic beast started flapping twice as fast in a vain attempt to keep the body afloat, only to start sinking to the ship, gravity taking its natural effect. Shadow smirked, his eyes glinting with blood lust as he swept down, this time slicing through the head of the snake, creating a large gash and exposing Eggman.

Shadow's mouth twisted into a dark smile as he reached inside the cockpit and grabbed the Doctor by the collar, yanking him out of the metallic snake. The snake hit the Egg Carrier, explosions and crashing sounds rocketing the air, the dark hedgehog carrying the scientist jumping off to avoid unnecessary damage.

Shadow nonchalantly glided down to the top of the fallen Egg Serpent's head, throwing Eggman down so that he was on his knees. The ultimate life form himself landed behind the Doctor, evil intention in mind, intentions that were mirrored perfectly by his eyes.

"Please," Eggman whimpered, "Have mercy!"

"Mercy?" Shadow barked, the black and yellow aura around him flaring as if it was his temper, "Mercy is not shown willingly in this world, so why should I give you its luxury?"

"I'll turn myself in," the defeated scientist reasoned. This new Shadow was striking fear into the hearts of everyone, even the most lunatic Doctor on this planet.

Shadow smirked, showing off his teeth, waving his index finger in amusement, "That is no place for you."

Temporary relief washed over Robotnik. He was about to speak to his grandfather's creation again when he was interrupted by another voice.

"Good job there, Shadow," Sonic commented, running towards the Egg Serpent with Rouge.

The duo stopped in front of the giant snake's head, beckoning Shadow to bring Eggman down.

"Come on man," Sonic called, "Let's turn this creep in and go home."

"No."

Rouge and Sonic's eyes both doubled at the response. What did he mean, no?

Shadow slowly lifted his feet, circling around the now frightened Doctor, examining him as an artist would his work, "He doesn't deserve prison, it's too good for him. His place is in _hell_!"

"Snap out of it!" Sonic yelled, his eyes aflame, "Do you know what you're saying! What should we do with him?"

The dark hedgehog suddenly stopped, being back at his original position behind the kneeling Doctor. Suddenly, his hands shot out and grabbed the Doctor's head. His right arm grabbed the back of his upper bald head. The other snaked its way around his neck to grab a firm hold of his chin.

"I know exactly what to do with him," the hell-bent hedgehog hissed, his muscles beginning to tense.

"L-L-Let's be reasonable about this!" Eggman stuttered in a last attempt to reason with the possessed hedgehog.

"Too late!" Shadow roared, his biceps flexing.

Sonic stepped forward, his right hand outstretched as if wanting to pull the dark hedgehog away from his own ideas, "Shadow, wai--"

**CRACK!**

The blue hedgehog stopped in his tracks, his eyes completely wide. Rouge put a hand to her mouth out of pure shock, tears beginning to well in the corners of her eyes. Shadow dropped his hold on the Doctor.

The limp form of the scientist slumped to the right onto the ground, his head twisted completely backwards. The facade of shock and pain was still clearly visible on his face.

"Hm hm hm," Shadow snickered, his gaze falling dead-set onto Sonic, "Perhaps you'll entertain me more than that idiotic scientist."

With a quick bend of his knees, Shadow jumped off the Egg Serpent's head, his shoes creating a loud clank as he landed. Bending his head to the side, Shadow began to trudge towards Sonic, the vortex of black and yellow energy dancing around his body furiously, as if to beckon him forwards.

Two more explosions rocked the ship, fire blazing through the cool blue sky, illuminating Shadow's face even more.

Rouge trembled.

This wasn't him, this wasn't Shadow.

Images of the dark hedgehog flooded into her mind. He was smiling, smirking, laughing.

Her eyes never left Shadow's stalking form, blood dripping off his canines, his mouth twisted into a confident snarl.

This wasn't him, it was a demon. It was a sick, deranged copy of Mephiles.

"Prepare yourself, blue hedgehog," Shadow hissed, tightening his hands into fists as he came closer and closer to them both.

Sonic's grip on the emerald in his hand increased, his glove making a faint rubbing sound from the friction of the material against the gem's smooth surface.

"Stop it," Rouge whispered, barely audible.

Shadow continued to walk, the energy around him swirling in excitement.

"Stop it," Rouge repeated, this time louder than before.

The ultimate life form raised his hand, as if ready to chop Sonic's head clean off.

"**Stop it**!"

Before Sonic could even react to the yelled words, Rouge leaped forward and pulled the stalking and bloody ultimate life form into her arms, wrapping her slender figure around his muscled body.

Shadow immediately stopped and lowered his hand slowly. She looked up into his eyes, her green pools freely releasing long silver lines of sadness. He looked back at her, his fiery red orbs burning into hers.

Something seemed to click in the back of his mind as the emerald in his chest throbbed.

The ultimate life form's black flame design-like and milky yellow fur began to recede, just as a sponge would soak up spilled water. His normal black and red fur was revealed as the tainted fur receded back to whence it came, the emerald in his chest.

The jewel sucked up the last remnants of the form into its shape, the waves of energy around Shadow disappearing as well. The emerald glowed a bright ebony once before it disappeared back into the depths of the dark hedgehog's body.

The dark hedgehog immediately collapsed into Rouge's arms, his eyes closed. Sonic was still standing at the same spot. His eyes were wide, his mouth was agape. He was reminiscent of a statue.

Less than a minute earlier, Shadow, his supposed comrade, was stalking towards him with the intention of killing him.

What had Mephiles done?

"Sonic," Rouge called, snapping the sea-mimicking hedgehog out of his trance.

The blue hero ran to the bat's side, skidding on his knees next to her.

Summoning upon the power's of the mystical jewel in his hand, Sonic raised his voice, "Chaos Control!"

A flash of blue light illuminated the small area before the three disappeared from the spot.

Through all the chaos and confusion, they failed to notice two eyes that mirrored the flames around them perfectly observing quietly.

The second after they had left, a strange, almost synthetic chuckle rang through the air, a chuckle so eerie it would have sent shivers down anyone's spines, mirroring the strange terror of when gongs rung through the air at the strike of midnight.

"So it begins."

-

The same kind of flash light up the same hill where Sonic and the others had first arrived before fighting Eggman, Sonic, Rouge and the unconscious Shadow all appearing there once the light cleared. The blue blur released his hold on the bat and turned around just in time to see the flaming Egg Carrier crash land over the hills about fifty miles away from Station Square.

"Sonic," Rouge called, getting the hedgehog's attention, "We need to get Shadow to a hospital!"

The hero nodded and quickly ran over to Rouge, taking the dark hedgehog from her and heaving him onto his own back. Not a second after, the blue blur took off towards the city, Rouge flapping her wings furiously to try and keep up with the speed demon.


	16. Arrival in the Mist

Chapter 16- Arrival in the Mist

It was the following morning after Eggman's attack.

The G.U.N. troops had finished disposing of the remaining robots the maniacal Doctor had sent out to attack the city early in the evening, approximately two hours after Sonic and the others had arrived at the hospital.

Tails and Knuckles were already there.

The red echidna had figured it was most logical for all of them to get a check up just in case, since he and Tails were injured slightly. Amy was still unconscious after Sonic's hit. What they didn't expect was Sonic and Rouge bringing back an unconscious Shadow draped over the blue hedgehog's back.

Amy had regained her consciousness from Sonic's knock out some time after the nurses had placed Shadow in his room, telling the others that he would be fine.

"**Where is he**?" the pink hedgehog screamed frantically, making the nurse taking her temperature jump from the sudden outburst.

"**Where's Sonic**?" the female yelled again, "**Wait 'till I get my hands on him**!"

Sonic's ears flattened at the sound of the angry voice, which was obviously directed at him. Amy's room was a few doors down from outside of Shadow's where he was sitting with Tails, but he could still hear her clear as day.

"...**I'll tear off his**..."

Sonic sighed, sticking a finger in his ear and wiggling it around as if to clear out something foul in it. He really wished Tails and Knuckles had stayed with him.

The two-tailed fox had gone home a couple of hours after they had arrived, mumbling about his wrecked Tornado and lack of sleep. The red echidna stated that he had to check on the Master Emerald, but that he would be back as soon as he could.

"...**Let's see if he can have children then**...!"

He looked at Shadow's closed door. Rouge had been allowed to go in last night, but only one visitor was allowed at a time while the hedgehog was still unconscious. He really wished the ultimate life form would wake up already.

-

Mist covered a large grassy hill overlooking Station Square and its still sleeping inhabitants. Morning dew covered most of the grass as two silhouettes trudged through the short grass, an unknown fabric waving in the cool morning breeze.

The soft, continuous crunches of the grass being crushed under the two's feet echoed through the silent air. The two figures came to a stop at the end of the hill. They were about the same height.

The surrounding mist and fog made it impossible to make out distinct characteristics on the two figures, but they were both definitely wearing large black robes that dangled just above their feet. One of the figures, the one on the left was wearing large brown combat boots. The other had on a set of futuristic silver and white shoes.

Hoods covered both of their heads, cloaking their faces in the shadows of the surrounding fabric. The cloaks had long sleeves, ones that seemed almost too long for the figures. Their arms were draped at their sides in an uncaring fashion.

"Are we close?" the figure on the left asked without moving at all. His voice seemed sinister, yet calm and forcefully controlled.

Silence passed between the two before the figure on the right answered without turning towards his accomplice, "Yes, but we must pass through this city."

The second figures' voice was very nonchalant and soft, a complete contrast to his partner's.

"How will we get to the island?" the other questioned again, lifting his head slightly to reveal white, dagger-like teeth shining under the darkness of his cloak's hood.

"I'll teleport us," the right figure answered calmly.

The left figure visibly frowned, "Why can't you do that now? It would save us some trouble."

The figure on the right shifted to the left slightly, as if to acknowledge the other more, "I cannot warp to a place I have never been before. A visual confirmation of the location is needed."

The first figure's frown inversed into a shark-like grin, "Too bad that you can't pick up on the guardian's energy signature yet, that would have worked as well."

A moment passed before the person on the right lifted his head slightly, eerie silver eyes glowing from beneath the cloak's dark hood.

-

Rouge smiled dryly as she replaced the now withered flowers in the vase next to Shadow's bed with new ones. Her gaze traveled to the dark hedgehog.

The ultimate life form was sleeping soundly under snowy white bed sheets, his ebony and crimson head slightly elevated by a fluffy pillow. The bat moved to his bedside and sat on the small chair the nurse had been kind enough to supply him.

The albino huntress clutched the gray, withered flowers in her gloved hand.

_Flashback_

"_Wait!" Sonic shouted in protest at the disappearing Mephiles._

_He chuckled in response, "Do not worry, Sonic, we will all meet again, especially Shadow and I. He will seek me out, and desire more of which I have given him. Until then, farewell."_

_End Flashback_

Emerald eyes narrowed at the remembrance of the phantom hedgehog's words.

_He will seek me out..._

Unconsciously, Rouge's free hand slipped forward and intertwined with Shadow's.

_...And desire more of which I have given him._

More what? More power?

The withered flowers slowly dropped from her hands at the thought of Shadow aligning himself with Mephiles for the sheer purpose of gaining more power. He wouldn't do that, would he?

-

Sonic stood up from his seat and stretched.

'_I might as well go see Knuckles,_' the blue hedgehog thought.

Amy had finally fallen asleep and it didn't look like Shadow would be waking up anytime soon. Nodding to himself, Sonic picked up the two Chaos Emeralds he had stored under his seat.

"Chaos Control," he whispered, and in a flash of light, he was gone from the spot.

-

Knuckles yawned, having finished his second patrol around Angel Island to make sure everything was in order. The guardian sat on the steps of the Master Emerald shrine, morning mist half-heartily hiding the giant green jewel.

Amethyst eyes narrowed.

Over the years, he had begun to question the meaning and purpose of what he was doing. His entire race was wiped out centuries ago, save for a few stragglers. He was the last of his kind. Well, there was another, the ancient princess echidna, Tikal. But he had not heard from the mystical female since the Chaos incident, and that was three years ago.

Sometimes he wondered if she was real or not. The echidna unwillingly blushed. She was beautiful and strong, yet to docile.

His train of thought was suddenly wrecked by a bright flash of light.

Covering his eyes with one hand, Knuckles gazed through the space between his thumb and the rest of his hand to see Sonic standing there with two Chaos Emeralds in hand.

"Yo," the blue hedgehog called, jogging up to the echidna.

Knuckles lowered his hand used to protect his eyes and gave a nonchalant wave, "What are you doing here?"

The hero shrugged and sat down besides his echidna friend, "The hospital was boring."

The emerald guardian raised a brow, "Hasn't Shadow woken up yet?"

The blue blur shook his head, a little too enthusiastically, and dropped the two emeralds beside him, "Nope, he's still out."

The warrior closed his eyes in thought when Sonic's voice ran through his ears again.

"So, what do you do here for fun?"

Violet eyes slowly opened to look at the curious face of Sonic, "What do you mea--"

He cut himself off, standing up straight so fast it startled Sonic slightly. The blue hedgehog followed suite unsurely and stood beside him comrade, "What's up?"

Knuckles scanned the area for a moment before answering, "There's someone on the island."

Grass green hues widened, "What, who?"

Knuckles glared at the invisible intruder before correcting his previous statement, "There are two of them."

Sonic's hand carefully slithered back and grasped one of the emeralds in his hand, "Are they strong?

All he received from the echidna was a loud gulp. The blue hedgehog's mouth was slightly open. Someone so strong it frightened even Knuckles?

-

Shadow bolted up right, his ruby eyes wide, sweat dripping down his face. The bed rocked slightly from the sudden jerk. His breathing was ragged. Looking around, he spotted Rouge staring worriedly at him.

"Are you all right?" the bat asked, concern lacing her voice.

The ultimate life form unconsciously nodded. What had awakened him so fast?

Red eyes narrowed.

It were two large energy bursts. He could tell where they were coming from, Angel Island. His mind also recognized one of them. It was familiar, sinister, yet calm. His features darkened, his lips pulling back to reveal his clenched teeth. Crimson red eyes widened as cold, hard realization hit him.

"Shadow," Rouge asked unsurely, observing the dark hedgehog's facial features.

Before another word was uttered, the black and red hedgehog jumped out of the bed, the blanket falling to the floor next to him.

**He **was here.

The one.

The bat jumped up in protest, "Shadow, you need to rest!"

His head snapped to face her. Her eyes instantly widened. He had an almost completely insane look on his face. The only thing that separated it from maniacal was the strong tinge of hate and anger.

"It's him," he muttered.

The ivory bat stepped forward, "Who?"

She paused, her eyes doubling in size.

No, it couldn't be. Here? Now?

Before the bat could utter another word, Shadow raced to the door, pulled it open so hard it nearly tor off its hinges, and ran down the hallway. The huntress didn't move an inch to protest. She feared that if she had, the ultimate life form might have killed her.

-

"Come out!" Knuckles demanded, his muscles tensed in anxiety, "There's no use hiding yourselves anymore."

"Hm hm hm," a deep voice chuckled, "He's smarter than he looks."

Emerald and amethyst eyes widened simultaneously. Before them, not twenty feet from the foot of the Master Emerald shrine were two cloaked figures.

The morning dew surrounded them both, making it hard to decipher any details, but they were both about Sonic's size, the one on the left just slightly taller. Clad in long black cloaks that seemed two sizes too large for them, the same figure spoke again.

"The guardian of the emerald, right?"

His voice seemed slightly amused, taunting and perceptive.

"What do you want?" Sonic demanded, taking a step forward, more than ready to shoot a Sonic Wind at the two, letting the emerald in his hand drop back to the ground behind him.

The said figure raised its left arm, which was completely draped by the sleeve of the cloak, not even allowing his hand to stick out, pointing it above the two. Sonic and Knuckles didn't have to turn around; they knew exactly what they meant and wanted.

Violet eyes narrowed, "I'll kill you before you can touch it."

"I highly doubt that," the same voice mused, lowering its arm again, "You're out of your league, kid."

-

Shadow had never traveled so fast in his life. Not during his races with Sonic, not even in his Super form. His jet shoes spewed flames from underneath him that were so intense, the pavement and grass he whizzed over charred.

He had broken the sound barrier for the first time in his life, but he didn't acknowledge that fact. Only one phrase repeated itself in his mind, over and over again, like a broken record player.

He's here.

He's here.

He's here.

_Flashback _

"_Don't push yourself so hard," a white and silver hedgehog scowled, standing above a much shorter back and red one._

"_You don't have to hold back," Shadow muttered, his red puppy-like eyes narrowed._

_The sheer white bleach-like environment of the training room surrounded them both. Shadow was on his rump before his older brother Eclipse._

_The older hedgehog smiled as he held out his gloved hand to his younger brother. Shadow's narrowed eyes became big again. Smiling, he accepted. The older sibling heaved him up with no trouble._

_Shadow's smile brightened as he got into a fighting stance, "Come on brother, one more time!"_

_Moments later, a loud thud echoed through the air._

_-_

_Shadow brooded as he was being carried on Eclipse's shoulders through the filled halls of the space colony Ark. The young hedgehog had sprained his wrist when Eclipse side-stepped to avoid his charge. Still, he could walk. He didn't need his brother babying him._

_Shadow felt somehow like a klutz after that, thick-headily saying he could walk on his own. Eclipse just gave him a playful shake of his head and pulled the younger hedgehog onto his shoulders._

"_You can put me down now," Shadow muttered, still ashamed at the pitiful injury._

_The white hedgehog turned his head to the side slightly to acknowledge his younger brother. He looked back straight ahead, dodging several human scientists on his way._

"_I thought you'd be glad to not have to walk, Shadow," Eclipse finally responded._

_The young ultimate life form pouted, "I don't like being babied!"_

_Eclipse' lips twitched into a small smile._

_End Flashback _

Shadow's bloody red eyes instantly narrowed as he saw the blurry image of Angel Island appearing up ahead. The floating island came closer by the second, as if it was an image being adjusted on a camera. Shadow's hateful gaze never wavered as he gave another powerful boost of speed, rocking the air with a loud super sonic boom.

* * *

Author's Note: Who are the two mysterious intruders of Angel Island? I could be mean and make ya'll wait another week but I'm just too nice for that! Stick around, Chapter 17 entitled: _The Lone Survivor_ is coming your way tomorrow! 


	17. The Lone Survivor

Chapter 17- The Lone Survivor

"Move aside," the only-speaking cloaked figure of the duo commanded harshly, waving his arm to put emphasis in his words.

Knuckles' eyes instantly narrowed, "When hell freezes over."

An amused, shark-like grin shone from the darkness of the figure's hood at the echidna's cold response, but he said nothing in return.

Sonic momentarily eyed both of the figures. The taller one seemed cocky but strong, nothing he hadn't already encountered. He had a rough, almost macho-like voice. Like he said, nothing he hadn't encountered before.

It was the second, silent figure that unnerved him. He had not uttered a single word since the encounter. It was as if he was carefully calculating something.

"We do not wish to fight..."

Grass green hues widened at the first vocal lines to come from the shorter figure. His voice, just like his demeanor, was calm, deep and nonchalant. He had never encountered someone like this before. He wasn't like Mephiles, or any other enemy he had ever faced.

But, there was a deep, flaming power radiating off the figure that he didn't even try to cover up. Sonic gulped, perspiration beginning to collect over his eye ridges.

"...But if you do not move aside, we will be forced to."

Knuckles' eyes instantly narrowed at the rather mild threat, "What makes you think you can take us on so easily?"

"Don't get cocky, echidna," the taller figure sneered, stepping forward with one foot.

The guardian smirked. So, the taller one had a temper? Maybe he could mold this to his advantage.

"Why don't you back your shit-talking up then?" Knuckles taunted, earning a shocked gaze from his cerulean companion.

The echidna could easily read the stare he was getting from Sonic, '_What the hell are you thinking?'_

"Knuckles," he whispered cautiously, leaning in so the echidna could hear him better as well as to keep it out of the range of the two cloaked figures, "I don't think fighting them is a good idea."

The emerald guardian completely ignored the comment, not even having the decency to spare the hero a glance, "So, what will it be?"

The figure hesitated for a moment before shifting its head to the shorter figure, as if silently asking for approval.

Sonic's eyes narrowed. So his hunch was right; the shorter was the stronger one of the two.

When the short robed figure didn't speak a word of objection, the taller one lifted its right arm and grasped the front of the hood covering its face. With a rather gentle yank, the figure pulled the hood back, revealing its face.

It was an auburn-colored fox.

The hood fell loosely on the back of his robe as his mouth twisted into another toothy grin. The fox had white, dagger-like teeth. Two confident green eyes, much contrasting to his reddish brown fur gleamed at them both. A long white stripe of fur ran down from the top of his head, ending right between his eyes, shaped much like a double-ended spear.

"Kakos," the other figure suddenly spoke in a warning tone, "Do not unveil your energy signature."

The vulpine waved the comment off, partially ignoring his parter, "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm not that stupid!"

A part of both Sonic's and Knuckles' minds logged the name of the taller figure into their memory. Kakos the Fox.

Knuckles smirked mockingly, "I wouldn't bet on that one."

The echidna looked over to his hedgehog companion for a second. He was completely still, frozen with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape. Was there something the hedgehog knew that he didn't about the two intruders?

Shaking the thought off, Knuckles raised both of his fists, slowly and cautiously stalking towards the grinning Kakos. The fox remained completely still, his long cloak blowing in the wind softly, his hood flying onto his right shoulder.

Then, he began to advance.

Knuckles' eyes were narrowed, his brows furrowed, and the teeth in his closed mouth grit. He didn't know why this character was so confident in himself. Surely he had to have heard of them?

The figure stalked on until they were both only a couple of feet apart. Knuckles silently noted that the intruder was wearing big, brown boots that reached halfway between his ankles and knees. So, not the speed type then? He was guessing the fox relied more on his strength.

With a deafening battle cry, Knuckles darted forward, his fist drawn and ready to strike. In one fluid motion, the echidna hooked his arm, aiming right for Kakos' chin.

The fox's smirk disappeared when he caught the spiked fist in a flash, his sleeve fluttering from the sudden jerking motion.

"You thought I was slow, didn't you?" Kakos asked, amused at the echidna's shock-written face, "Well, looks can be deceiving!"

And with another move as fast as lighting, Kakos kneed Knuckles in the gut, momentarily throwing the bottom of his cloak up to reveal his auburn legs. Blood shot out of the guardian's mouth as his violet eyes widened in pain. Doubling over, the echidna collapsed onto the ground in front of the fiery-furred fox.

The other figure was observing in complete silence and Sonic took the moment's peace to analyze him.

He was about his height. By what he could tell by the shape of his cloak, he was rather lean. Gazing towards his feet, Sonic was shocked to see what looked like Shadow's jet shoes, only instead of the red outlines that he had, this guy's were silver.

Was that a coincidence?

The hedgehog's eyes wandered back towards his face, which was still completely masked by the hood of his cloak. Sonic picked up only one distinct feature from his face:

He had fierce, yet nonchalant, silver eyes.

"Damn," Knuckles cursed, jumping back before the fox could deliver another blow.

What was it with all these strong mysterious guys showing up lately? First it was that strange sand hedgehog, Algos. And now it was a fox and some other creature in black cloaks. Algos had proved to be too powerful to be left alone in a one-on-one fight and it seemed this Kakos guy was no different.

But somehow, he felt that he had to buy time. He didn't know why, he wasn't expecting anyone to show up and save them, just that somehow, he had to stall a little longer. The echidna forcefully cleared his mind when a burst of air shook the ground. Kakos was charging at him with his arms dangling loosely behind him.

-

Shadow only saw red.

Hate, anger, and a lust to kill.

His vision was clouded as he jumped over and past several large rocks, making his way closer and closer to Angel Island.

He knew it was him. There was absolutely no mistake about it. The day he had committed that horrible deed and shown his true colors for the first time, Shadow had unconsciously memorized his distinct energy signature.

He couldn't tell how strong or weak it was, only that it was there. And that was enough for the ultimate life form.

_Flashback_

_A young Shadow wiped some sweat off his brow as he dashed down the halls of the Ark, skillfully yet playfully dodging several bewildered scientists._

_He had just finished training and wanted another spar with his brother. The only problem was, he couldn't find Eclipse anywhere. Rounding another corner, Shadow stopped at the room he shared with Maria._

_The metallic door slid open to reveal a small apartment. He spotted his adopted mother on one of the two beds in the room reading a book._

"_Hi Maria," Shadow chirped, "What are you reading?"_

_The young girl smiled and placed the book down, "Shakespeare."_

_The young ultimate life form squeezed his eyes shut and stuck out his tongue as if to clear a bad taste from his mouth, "Ew, how can you read that stuff?"_

"_It's romantic and educational," Maria responded with a sweet smile._

_Shadow dropped his childish "Grossed-out" face and piped up again, "Have you seen my brother, Maria?"_

_The blond human shook her head after a pause of thought, "No, but I think he went to talk to Grandfather."_

_Shadow smiled and headed out of the door again, "Thanks Maria."_

"_Be back for dinner," the human girl called before the door hissed shut._

_-_

_The young hedgehog darted through the halls once again, his new path chosen. The first place he would look was obviously Gerald's office. Rounding another corner rather clumsily, almost falling, Shadow stopped in front of the door. He was about to knock when he heard voices inside._

_He couldn't hear what they were saying, but one of them sounded very angry. Lowering his hand intended for the knock, Shadow's head snapped up at an idea. The young hedgehog smirked mischievously as he looked up to gaze at an air vent._

_-_

"_Ow," Shadow whined, his arm bumping the side of the small air duct for the fourth time._

_One would think his small form would have no trouble navigating through the tight air ducts without any bumped heads or arms. _

_How wrong they were._

_After a few more minutes of crawling much like a soldier on the battlefield intent on staying low to avoid getting shot, Shadow stopped when he heard clear voices._

"_This is the last time you will act this way!" one voice, the angry one Shadow had heard before shouted._

_Gazing to the left, Shadow silently thanked the good lord above to see an air conditioning vent he could see into the room through. Raising his head slightly, the young hedgehog peered inside._

_It was Gerald and Eclipse. The scientist was at his desk and his brother was seated in a chair in front of him._

"_I am considering putting you in cryogenic stasis for the time," Gerald shot at the calm white and silver hedgehog._

"_Do you fear me?" Eclipse asked back in a monotone voice, almost like a mindless robot._

"_What?" Gerald questioned, slightly taken aback by the question._

"_You fear my power," Eclipse answered for him, "You fear what I am capable of..."_

_He paused, letting his words sink it._

"_...You fear what Shadow and I might become and where we might go."_

_Shadow's attention to the conversation tripled at the sound of his name._

_Gerald narrowed his eyes, "You will not lead Shadow into such foolishness."_

"_Foolishness, much like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder," the white hedgehog replied poetically._

_Gerald sat up from his desk, shoving the chair he sat on back a few feet, slamming his hands down on the metal table, "Then you are a fool!"_

_Shadow half expected his brother to retort with the same angry tone, but he just gazed at the scientist, as if totally uninterested in the subject._

"_I swear to you," Gerald hissed through grit teeth, his normally peaceful gray eyes aflame with anger, "If you stab us in the back, if you betray us, I will order your extermination."_

_Shadow's big red eyes widened. Extermination? His brother was going to be exterminated?_

"_That threat means nothing," Eclipse muttered nonchalantly, his half-lidded eyes never once closing for a blink, "I cannot be contained here now and soon, neither will Shadow. Our place lies in the distance of pain and sadness, in paradise."_

"_What makes you think you cannot be killed?" Gerald shouted in anger, pointing his index finger at his creation._

_A wave of silence hit the air before Eclipse chuckled bitterly, "Humans are so confident in the supremacy of their own existence. I have lost all hope for saving this planet, much less its people."_

"_This is madness!" The scientist across from him shouted, unable to believe Eclipse' words._

"_You always talk about the best, for saving the future, but what have humans, anyone, done for this planet and life since their existence?" Eclipse muttered almost silently, "They have destroyed and killed..."_

"_...I, nor Shadow, will save this world. We will ascend above it."_

_Gerald stopped before he could talk again. It seemed as if there was no reasoning with the hedgehog._

_Eclipse turned his head, to Shadow's shock, into the direction of the vent where the young hedgehog was hiding, his nonchalant silver eyes gazing at his big red ones "It is not wise to eavesdrop, Shadow."_

_Shadow's eyes widened slightly._

_'Damn...'_

_Before the small hedgehog could make up an excuse however, Eclipse rose from his chair and opened the door, leaving the room. It slammed shut, slightly rocking the air vent Shadow was in. He looked down to see Gerald glaring directly at him._

_'Double Damn.'_

_End Flashback_

"Eclipse," Shadow muttered to himself, dodging another boulder at break-neck speed, "You will die!"

With his fuchsia eyes gleaming of murder and hatred, Shadow summoned the power from deep within his being, calling forth the ability to warp time and space at his will.

"Chaos...Control!"

A fierce red flash illuminated the area, momentarily turning the already fast moving Shadow into a whizzing red orb. Then, he was gone. His destination and intentions were clear.

He would see, speak and then kill.


	18. The Ultimate Life Form's Fury

Chapter 18- The Ultimate Life Form's Fury

Knuckles managed to duck under another swift blow from Kakos. Quick to retaliate, the echidna pressed both of his hands onto the ground, using them as a boost and shooting both of his legs towards the auburn fox.

The mysterious foe easily avoided the drop kick with a bend of his upper body and wrapped one of his arms around both of the echidna's legs.

The guardian's eyes widened, "Shit."

With a smirk, Kakos heaved the guardian from the ground and into the air, jumping up after him with a minor push of his legs. Shooting up until he was right below the warrior, Kakos reeled back his leg, sending it flying towards Knuckles' exposed back.

Green eyes widened when a gloved hand caught the fox's foot, twisting it around to send the cloaked figure spinning towards the ground like a wound up and released spindle-top.

The Angel Island intruder used his right hand as a kick stand to avoid damage from the fall. Somersaulting, the fox landed on his feet gracefully. Sonic and Knuckles landed ten feet in front of him, the echidna collapsing to one knee.

"Thanks man," Knuckles whispered hoarsely to Sonic.

The blue hedgehog only nodded at his friend's appreciation, his eyes never leaving the fuchsia fox.

"Kakos," the second figure warned, his tone almost passing for lazy,"Stop acting foolish and take the emerald."

The fox turned around slightly and grinned at his partner, "Come on, you never let me have any fun!"

Knuckles' eyes instantly narrowed, "Do you think this is a game?"

Kakos looked at the echidna, the grin still plastered on his face, "Life is a game, and I know how to play it."

"Knuckles," Sonic warned in a low tone, slightly like the shorter robed figure, "These guys aren't just any chumps, be careful around them!"

The echidna snorted in response.

Kakos started to walk towards them, "Sorry, but play time is over, give us the emerald."

"When hell freezes over twice," Knuckles retorted with a hiss.

The fox smirked, his stride never breaking, "Not too original, are you?"

"Sonic Wind!"

Kakos' eyes widened for a second before he moved to the side in a flash to avoid a large blue gust of wind energy headed directly for his head. The gust of energy overshot the other figure, who didn't even bother to move, and sliced up a few trees in the forest behind them.

He frowned when blood began to run down his cheek.

"Damn it," Sonic cursed. He had been hoping to catch him unprepared and in a surprise attack, but he had underestimated the rather immature fox yet again.

"That was pretty close," Kakos stated nonchalantly, wiping a line of blood from his face. There was a spark in his emerald-green eyes, "You'll pay for that!"

Sonic smirked in response, motioning with four of his fingers for the fox to come to him, "Bring it on then."

The taller fox got into an offensive position, more than ready to strike down the foolish little hedgehog, when suddenly, the other figure spoke again, causing everyone to freeze.

"You've grown..."

Kakos got out of his stance and stood up straight, turning his head around to give his partner a curious look, "Hm?"

The robed figure turned around to acknowledge the newcomer's presence "...Shadow."

Sonic's and Knuckles' eyes both doubled their regular sizes at the sight of the ultimate life form, who had suddenly appeared and was standing a good twenty feet behind the still unidentified figure.

There was no flash of Chaos Control, no fancy entrance like usual, he had just appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The two heroes protecting the Master Emerald felt shivers going down their spines at the sight of the ultimate life form.

His face. It was something they had never seen before from the dark hedgehog, not even when he was under the Dark Emerald's influence. His mouth was twisted into a ferocious snarl. His bottom lip was twitching in anger and his top lip was raised so high it nearly touched his nose.

His white teeth shone dangerously under the morning mist. The dark hedgehog's fists were clenched so hard one could hear the faint sound of the glove's smooth material rubbing together. His brows were furrowed so low that they nearly met at an angled point between his eyes.

The ultimate life form looked like a mad, hell-bent demon straight from the dark depths themselves, more than ready to cut down anyone foolish enough to get into his path. But one, single characteristic stood out the most on the hate-contorted face of the obsidian one.

His eyes...

Eyes of hate, eyes of anger, eyes of evil...

Eyes of revenge.

His teeth parted slowly as Shadow muttered the single most-hate filled name he had ever uttered, his crimson eyes still focused only on the unidentified figure, rolling it off his tongue like a poison.

"Eclipse...the Hedgehog."

Sonic took a step back instantly, his eyes growing to the size of plates, his mouth agape, more than ready to drop to the ground if it were capable.

"E-Eclipse...the Hedgehog?" the cerulean hedgehog stuttered, repeating the dark hedgehog's words while taking another small step back in shock once again, as if unable to believe the name he had heard.

Shadow's brother? The homicidal maniac? The one that had killed everyone on Ark? It wasn't possible.

To his dismay, all of the hedgehog's doubts were washed away as the short figure slowly raised his hand and lifted the dark hood off his head.

It was a hedgehog. One that looked almost exactly like Shadow.

Instead of black, his fur was white. Instead of red highlights in his quills, he had silver ones. Unlike Shadow's four quills that stuck out to the sides evenly, this hedgehog's intertwined. The bottom two pointed up and the top two pointed down.

There was no mistaking it now. This was the guy, the one Shadow had been training to defeat. Sonic's eyes instantly narrowed.

He was the reason Shadow had turned so cold. He took everything away from him, cast him into a dark and lonely hell...

...And the two were staring each other dead in the eye.

Furious, hateful, burning ruby eyes.

Impassive, half-lidded silver eyes.

Long lost brothers.

Kakos' mouth twisted into a toothy smirk, his eyes scanning over the ultimate life form and then over his partner, "Hm, he looks a lot like you, who is he?"

After a small pause, the hedgehog answered nonchalantly, "My brother."

Sonic heard Knuckles gasp from his left. Apparently, the echidna had not figured out the identity of the second intruder until now.

"Eclipse," Shadow hissed hatefully again, pure anger and blood lust in his voice, "Today you'll pay for killing everyone aboard the Ark, for killing Maria!"

Eclipse's look remained stoic as Shadow's quills began to waver, small swirling sounds emitting from his right hand.

"Like you said, brother..." the ultimate life form muttered, his glare never weakening, an audio clip of his memory playing within his head.

"_So, foolish brother, hate me, envision yourself standing above my fallen body, and once you have awakened, come before me."_

"...I've dreamed of your death..."

The swirling, crackling sounds loudened considerably, Shadow's face beginning to illuminate under the glow of an eerie and bright yellow.

"...And now, I've come before you..."

Eclipse's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, "..."

A loud whoosh echoed through the air, signaling to everyone in the area that Shadow had completed his attack.

"...**to kill you**!"

With lighting fast speed, Shadow's arm carrying the deadly attack was flung behind him as his knees bent, and he took off towards Eclipse. His thrusting arm fell over the ground, crashing into it and sending up grass and rocks on either side of his red and black arm highlighted in yellow.

The ultimate life form's jet shoes flared and burned under him, mirroring his dark and ferocious charge almost perfectly.

His dark mind twisted with the thought of finally killing the real culprit behind the Ark massacre. It hadn't been G.U.N., it hadn't been Black Doom, it had been his own brother. The one he once looked up to...the one he once loved. But now the only connection that held the two together was made of hate.

Mephiles was right all along with the vision he had shown Shadow. For a few days a part in the back of his mind had doubted the reality but now that his brother stood here before him, all uncertainty was washed away under a river of overflowing hatred.

His charge, his stare or his intentions never wavered as the Chaos Spear created a long line of unearthed grass and dirt, clearly marking the trail towards his brother.

Eclipse remained totally impassive, he had not even twitched or flinched yet. His younger brother's threats of his sudden charge did not make the white hedgehog even blink. Perhaps he was used to death-threats, or perhaps he knew that Shadow didn't stand a chance.

"**Die**!" Shadow bellowed hatefully, lifting his arm off the ground. With another roar of anger and pain, the dark hedgehog thrust his Chaos Spear forward, sending the rest of his body into attack to fully utilize its deadly potential.

A thunderous explosion shook the very air itself as the impact summoned a blanket of debris and smoke over the two siblings, completely covering them both.

"Shadow!" Sonic called out frantically, charging forward along side Knuckles towards the explosion, fearing for their dark comrade's safety.

They both skidded to a halt when Kakos jumped in front of them, "Now, now," he taunted with a shark-like grin, his emerald eyes flaring in sick amusement, "Let's see how this plays out."

The cloud of debris cleared with a strong gust of wind to reveal a picture that caused Knuckles and Sonic's mouths to drop. Kakos simply smirked as he observed from the corner of his eye, making sure the two heroes would comply to his wishes.

In Eclipse's left hand was Shadow's arm. Both hedgehogs were still on their feet, with the white hedgehog having only moved his left arm out to grab his younger brother's arm. Even though Shadow was way out of his league, the attack still would have done unnecessary damage had it hit its mark.

His look was as nonchalant as ever as he regarded his brother almost lazily with cold, silver eyes.

Shadow, on the other hand, gave his brother the darkest and most furious glare he could muster, the Chaos Spear still crackling in his entrapped hand for a few seconds before it died away with one last sizzle.

Sharply, Eclipse turned to Kakos, ignoring his younger brother that was caught in his grip completely, "Get the emerald."

Shadow's glare increased ten-fold at Eclipse's ignoring attitude towards him. He wasn't even taking him seriously.

"Don't turn your back on me!" Shadow spat, raising his free arm, clenching his gloved hand into a fist.

Eclipse didn't even turn to acknowledge the obsidian hedgehog before his next, gruesome, action.

"You're a nuisance."

Then, with one fluid motion, his other hand shot out to grab the ultimate life form's entrapped arm before snapping it in half.

"**AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**!"

Shadow dropped to his knees in front of his brother in an instant, his other hand getting a tight grip on his snapped arm. Doubling over, the dark hedgehog's forehead landed on the soft grass, his crimson eyes closed as he writhed on the ground in pain.

"You bastard!" Sonic spat, making a sharp turn around Kakos, catching the fox by surprise.

In a mad dash, Sonic raised his fist, intent on ramming it into the white and silver menaces face. There was no way he was just going to stand back and let Shadow take a beating.

"Stay back!" a harsh voice suddenly commanded, stopping the azure hedgehog dead in his tracks.

Lowering his arm, the famed hero's eyes widened as they settled upon the form of Shadow, who was slowly rising back to his feet.

"Don't interfere, this is my fight!" he hissed again, his powerful voice leaving no room for arguments.

Eclipse turned around to acknowledge him slightly, barely letting his eerie silver eyes travel upon his rising form. His interest was snagged however, when a sudden energy burst shot through his senses. Shadow was transforming again, much to Sonic and Knuckles' horror.

'_No,_' Sonic screamed in his mind, '_It's just like last time!_'

Surely enough, the ultimate life form's black and red fur was slowly starting to drown under a new, milky yellow that spread across his body from a point on his chest.

_Flashback _

_Rouge had turned to him with a relieved smile, "Shadow"-_

_Her own voice died down in her throat at the sight of the dark hedgehog. What had happened?_

_His arms and upper back were hunched over as he rose, yellow and black energy dancing around him like a flame. It twisted, contorted as if it had a mind of its own, Shadow merely being its vessel._

_The emerald throbbed again, this time sending a physical change throughout his body. Starting at the emerald's position, his fur began to change to a milky yellow, the same color change he went under when he transformed into his Super form._

"_What in the world is going on?" Sonic questioned with wide eyes._

_No one dared to move during the spectacle, not even Eggman._

_His fur completely changed, even his bloody red highlights on his quills, arms and legs had disappeared under the new fur. It was as if the hedgehog was being consumed by his new fur. It soon covered his entire body that had once been covered by black and red fur._

_The emerald throbbed once more, this time sending out a hot black color from its position on Shadow's chest. It looked as if Shadow's body was burning, hot flames dancing across his fur like a black wildfire._

_To the others it seemed like some sort of disease, a plague, but Shadow's sadistic smirk told them all otherwise. His milky fur was being completely enveloped in the ebony-tinting color before the throbbing of the emerald died down, his fur completely changed._

_It was as if he was in his Super form, the normal golden coat as his base fur color. However, there was something much different about this form. Shadow was completely covered in ebony, flame-mimicking patterns, only some of the golden fur still exposed._

_Every part of his body that had fur on it was tinted with the black and yellow color, as if it were some kind of curse. His quills, his arms, his legs, absolutely everything._

_With the sadistic smirk still plastered on his face, the outline of the emerald completely disappeared from his chest, the violet and black energy around him being replaced with the golden one of his Super form, but mixed with a deep obsidian._

_Everyone knew what it was called, no one had told them, it was as if it clicked in the back of their minds._

_It was a Super form, but it was not pure, it was tainted with evil. This was the result of Mephiles' gift to Shadow; unfathomable power._

_The Dark Super form._

_End Flashback _

The memory pierced through the hero's mind like a flaming arrow of realization. He was going to use that cursed form again.

The milky fur had completely covered his body and less than a breath's moment after, a deep obsidian sea of flames flowed from his chest, snaking its way on his Super form-like fur until he was completely covered in it.

A round, swirling energy surrounded his broken arm as two consecutive cracks echoed through the air. His arm had healed itself with the power of the emerald.

The Dark Super hedgehog's eyes shot up to focus on Eclipse, only fueling his already raw and powerful hatred even more. The silver-eyed hedgehog was observing his younger brother with mild interest, a small but curious glint in his eyes at the sudden change.

"Very well," Eclipse muttered impassively, giving his younger brother the full attention he now deserved.

* * *

Author's Note: Will Shadow finally get his revenge? Find out in the next chapter entitled: _Foolish Brother_.


	19. Foolish Brother

Chapter 19- Foolish Brother

The scene couldn't be described anything short of epic.

Three onlookers, one evil and two good.

One tall, stoic hedgehog.

One cursed, hate-filled hedgehog.

No one dared to move after Eclipse muttered those words to his younger brother. Sonic and Knuckles knew there was about to be a battle, they had even tried to help after the older hedgehog had snapped Shadow's arm in half.

His words still echoed through the blue blur's mind at his attempt to aid him.

"_Don't interfere!"_

Strangely enough, he had complied. Stopped right before he could reach Eclipse, he now stood next to Knuckles once again in front of the Master Emerald shrine, protecting it from a possible sneak attack from Eclipse's mischievous and immature partner.

Between the groups of two was the auburn fox with piercing jade eyes: Kakos.

Shadow's transformation had been completed. Waves of black and yellow energy rolled off his body like steam in a slow-moving vortex, but he took no notice or pleasure in the sudden power boost. All that was on his mind was his older brother. The one who had killed everyone, the one who had destroyed his life...

...The one he would kill.

With a primal roar comparable only to that of an animal, Shadow darted forward, his body turning into a black and yellow arrow of death, making a beeline straight for his nonchalant, older brother.

Arching an arm back, the ultimate life form's fist tightened into a ball, sending it soaring at Eclipse's face. With lightning fast speed, Eclipse raised his left arm and blocked the attempted punch with the back of his still under-the-cloak, hidden hand.

The cloak fluttered and Shadow half-expected his brother to remain motionless based upon the lack of action from the older hedgehog previously. The thought shattered when the white and silver hedgehog's knee exploded from beneath his cloak, driving straight into Shadow's chin.

Blood seeped from his mouth and nose as his furious red eyes widened unwillingly out of pain. His body naturally would have fallen to the ground if Eclipse had not given him an uppercut with his right hand, straight into his stomach.

More blood erupted from the barrier of his teeth, dripping to the moist grass below.

-

Sonic's teeth slowly started to clench as his brows furrowed. Deep inside the hedgehog, shock was replaced by anger. It was bad enough that the homicidal hedgehog was here after the horrific act which he had committed. But now, he was beating his own little brother senseless.

Knuckles gulped, his expression a direct opposite from Sonic's. They had completely underestimated the two intruders, especially the white hedgehog.

Shadow had the power of the emerald Mephiles had given him flowing through his body, the same power he had used to easily dispose of Eggman, yet he was here not being able to land a single blow. Fear coursed through the echidna's body. But not fear for his personal well being, fear for the Master Emerald.

If one of these two goons could take out Shadow so easily, all the while looking so nonchalant, what could both of them do when one of them was actually serious?

-

A painful cough shook the air as Eclipse drove his elbow into the back of Shadow's neck, sending the powered up hedgehog tumbling to the ground. Managing to look up, one eye closed in pain and the other half-lidded, he saw Eclipse staring down at him almost curiously.

Did he think this was some kind of game?

"Be serious!" Shadow commanded, suddenly darting up towards his brother again, images of his killed family flowing through his mind to edge the avenging hedgehog on.

Another blow, this time to his ribs. Spasms of pain shot through the ultimate life form's body and he was about to fall to the ground when Eclipse suddenly snatched him up by the throat.

With a sudden burst of abnormal strength, the white hedgehog tossed Shadow's limp form over his head. With a loud whiz, the dark hedgehog flew passed the startled form of Sonic and Knuckles, hitting one of the seven pillars surrounding the Master Emerald shrine with a loud crash.

The ebony hedgehog's body arched out of pain before he slumped to the ground. His arms hung loosely at his sides, his legs were sprawled out and his head hung low. Completely motionless, the dark hedgehog made no move to retaliate.

Sonic couldn't believe the sight.

Shadow the Hedgehog, the ultimate life form from Ark, was being totally annihilated by this new hedgehog.

It wasn't possible. It denied everything he had seen over the past three years since he first met the crimson tainted hedgehog.

Silently, Eclipse began striding over to his fallen brother, passing both Sonic and Knuckles as if they weren't even there. The white hedgehog's obsidian cloak fluttered slightly with each step that he took, nearing the fallen Shadow.

He stood over the vermilion highlighted hedgehog in a matter of seconds. Not even bothering to check if Shadow was conscious, or even alive, he slowly bent down and grabbed the ultimate life form by the neck.

With a heave of abnormal strength, the albino hedgehog lifted his sibling up off the ground, slamming him against the stone pillar he was thrown against moments ago.

"You've disappointed me, little brother. You're still weak."

It was a simple, flat and deadpanned statement. No arrogance and no disgust were held in his words, they were spoken as if they had regarded the weather. And all Shadow could do as a retort was cough, sending more blood seeping from his mouth. He seemingly had proven his brother's point.

"Why?" Eclipse asked simply, stating the question as if Shadow was the one asking it.

The charcoal-colored hedgehog managed to open one eye to gaze into the two nonchalant silver ones of his brother.

"You still have too many attachments."

Shadow's one eye widened slightly at the murmured statement. Attachments? Did he mean friends? Comrades?

"You lack the thing you must feed on in order to kill me, you are not willing to give everything away for your purpose," the taller hedgehog murmured almost solemnly, as if he was regretting his words.

Eclipse leaned in, his mouth right above Shadow's ear. The dark hedgehog could feel his brother's hot breath smiting his sensitive hearing aid as his open eye widened even more at the next set of words to leave the white hedgehog's mouth.

"You lack hatred, little brother."

Raising his head back, his cold silver eyes stared down upon his brother, disappointment flashing across his face.

Then, as fast as he had put his brother in the vice grip, Eclipse released his hold on Shadow. Slumping back against the edge of the stone pillar, the ultimate life form sat there, his arms in between his legs, completely motionless.

With a small glowing throb pulsing on his chest, the yellow and black fur on his body receded just as quickly as it had come, making way for his normal ebony and crimson colors. Acting as if the event had not even occurred, Eclipse walked towards the stairs leading up to the Master Emerald, setting his foot on the first step.

Something sparked in Knuckles and the echidna was beside the hedgehog in an instant, swinging his fist wildly at his face. The silver highlighted hedgehog easily caught the guardian's fist with his hand, his motions as smooth as water.

"Back off," a rough voice commanded in between a bloody cough.

Knuckles whirled around to see Shadow standing again, the powers of the Dark Emerald having left him, but more than ready to continue the battle.

Kakos smirked, "Your brother is quite persistent, isn't he Eclipse?"

The white hedgehog clad in the dark robe turned his head slightly to catch his younger brother's struggling form with the corner of his left eye.

Silver eyes narrowed slightly.

Shadow definitely had the will power to kill him, but he lacked the burning, loathsome hatred that was suppose to flow through his veins the next time Eclipse intended on meeting him. He had made his demands clear and simple so even a young Shadow should have understood.

"..._When you have awakened..._"

Shadow had not. He wasn't even close.

Eclipse's eyes traveled to the onlooking blue hedgehog.

Sonic if he remembered correctly...He held more potential at the moment than Shadow. He was closer to awakening than his foolish little brother.

The Ark murderer lifted his foot off the stone step and made a slow stride towards Sonic, passing both a bewildered Knuckles and an enraged Shadow. But the injuries he had taken prevented the black hedgehog from leaping at his brother again. He needed at least a few moments to regain some of his strength.

The blue blur instinctively backed up a few steps when Eclipse stopped a few feet in front of him, his silver eyes regarding him impassively.

"Sonic...isn't it?" he asked, more if so demanded quietly.

All the blue hedgehog could do after a moment's hesitation was nod slightly. He was in no position to take action against the more powerful hedgehog after he had just witnessed Shadow getting beaten to a pulp.

"You son of a bitch!" Shadow roared hatefully, charging for his older brother once again, some of his strength recovered but mostly fueled on adrenaline and anger, "Your fight is with me!"

Reeling back his leg in mid-run, the obsidian hedgehog swung it at his brother. Eclipse easily caught Shadow's kick that was aimed directly for his head with his hand without even turning, throwing his sibling onto the ground like he was nothing more than a rag doll.

The dark hedgehog's eyes snapped shut as he grimaced in pain for a split moment. Ripping his crimson eyes open again, he saw his brother standing over him menacingly, a hint of annoyance lacing his face.

"I am not interested in you right now."

The statement was simple, eight words long and spoken with no hint of emotion.

Yet, Shadow felt degraded. He felt insulted. His own brother that he had been training so hard to kill did not even deem him worthy of his precious time? No. He refused to believe that.

"Go to hell," Shadow hissed before flipping his body around so his stomach was facing the ground, using his arms and legs to leap off of the ground, much like a frog.

Eclipse and Sonic's heads both followed his body into the air. Emerald orbs were wide and metallic ones were uninterested.

The dark hedgehog above the two felt raw energy flowing through his body. Utilizing the last of his energy reserves he had left, the ultimate life form summoned a shifting ball of violet energy in his right hand.

"Chaos Nightmare!"

The name of the attack flew through the air along with Shadow as he dived towards his brother, his eyes wide in anger and despair. Sonic jumped back a few feet out of fear of being caught in the ultimate life form's attack.

Kakos seemed as confident as ever and used the moment's distraction to dart towards Knuckles. The fiery echidna had barely caught wind of the charge before it was too late. With a loud gruesome sound of skin meeting skin, the fox kneed Knuckles in the gut.

Blood flew from the guardian's mouth as he collapsed onto the floor in a coughing spasm. Kakos lowered his knee, his robe fluttering under the sudden jerking motion. Sonic grit his teeth at the situation, having just seen his echidna friend taken down so easily. Something suddenly clicked in the back of his mind.

They were no match for them.

The fox, Kakos and the hedgehog brother of Shadow, Eclipse. They were far too powerful, way out of their league.

A loud boom rang through the air, indicating to Sonic that Shadow's attack had hit something. His eyes switched to the where the dark hedgehog was located. Only the thing he hit wasn't his older brother as he had intended.

It was the grassy ground of Angel Island.

Not only that, but while Eclipse had simply side-stepped to avoid the headstrong attack, he had also found it fit to drive his knee into Shadow's stomach. The attack began to sizzle away and die, Shadow's forearm half-way buried in the grassy and wet ground at the bottom of the small crater his attack had created.

It seemed to defy gravity itself, but the dark hedgehog was completely still. His eyes were wide in pain, his mouth was open, blood oozing from it, and his back was arched from the force of Eclipse's knee, which was still buried in his stomach.

It seemed the knee was what was holding Shadow up because as soon as Eclipse removed it, the ultimate life form fell to the ground in a heap. The pain was simply too much to take. He began shaking violently, coughing up more blood and holding his stomach in pain.

The ultimate life form he may be, but a beating such as this could even bring him to lie pathetically at his enemies feet. Eclipse reached forward after a small moment of silence, grabbing his younger brother by the neck and holding him up to eye-level with relative ease.

"Foolish brother," Eclipse drawled impassively, his nonchalant and deep voice ringing through Shadow's ears like an alarm clock, reawakening a memory.

_Flashback_

_A sudden movement made Shadow perk up, standing in a defensive position, still scared to death._

_His ruby-red eyes picked out a silhouette that stood against the eerie glowing window of the room, his outline making it obvious that it was a hedgehog, one taller and probably older than Shadow. His stance was statue-like and his fists were clenched at his sides. The head of the shadow was turned to the side._

"_Who are you?" Shadow managed to ask timidly through chocked sobs._

_The young black hedgehog pushed back another sob, the corner of his eye still drowning in the image of Maria and Gerald laying before him, slaughtered._

_The phantom turned towards the young hedgehog after a small pause, eerie silver eyes glowing through the darkness and focused onto Shadow._

_Young Shadow's eyes widened. No, it couldn't be, it was impossible._

_The stranger lifted his foot, stepping closer to the two corpses and Shadow. Waves of shadows and moonlight rolled over his expressionless face, revealing it completely under the glow of the Earth below._

"_Brother?" Shadow asked in shock, not wanting to believe in his idol's presence "What are you-why are you"-_

"_Foolish brother," the older hedgehog interrupted, his voice cold and nonchalant._

_End Flashback_

He was making fun of him, teasing, taunting.

Shadow would have roared in anger and attempted to hit his brother, but he remained frozen in his grip, not twitching or even blinking. He didn't have anything left. All of his energy was completely drained, and the fact that he ran out of the hospital not yet fully recovered didn't help things.

His half-lidded, pain-filled eyes were staring straight into Eclipse's mysterious silver ones. There was nothing left of the Eclipse Shadow once knew. He was completely gone, dead just like the rest of the people on Ark.

"Let him go you bastard!"

Eclipse turned his head away from his brother to see a fuming and raging Sonic in front of him with his fists clenched tightly at his sides. Yellow energy waves rolled off his body as if he had just been thrown into a boiling bath of liquefied gold.

"It's enough!" Sonic shouted again, taking a step towards Eclipse, totally ignoring the previous demonstrations of the hedgehog's power.

Surprisingly enough, Eclipse complied and released his hold on Shadow, letting the black and red hedgehog fall to the ground with a loud thud. Even Sonic was a little surprised himself that the white one had listened to his request, the energy around his body disappearing just as fast as it had come.

Eclipse turned to look at Kakos in a sharp jerk, who was still standing over a fallen Knuckles.

"Kakos, come," he ordered simply.

This drew everyone's attention, even Kakos', and turned it into shock.

"Why?" the fox asked, his eyes slightly wide at his partner's command, "We could take the emerald first."

"Kakos," Eclipse ordered again, this time in a warning tone, "Come."

He didn't have time to argue with his half-witted partner. The fox was instructed to do as he was told, but he still remained thick-headed most of the time.

The cloaked vulpine hesitated for a moment but then complied, dashing towards his partner. Eclipse turned heel as well and the two darted into the forest surrounding the shrine, their arms and sleeves of their cloaks fluttering behind them.

Sonic could only stare at them as they left, just as fast and mysterious as they had come.

-

"Why did we leave?" Kakos whined in a childish tone as he and Eclipse jumped from the huge island.

"We did not have the time to deal with three incarnations," Eclipse muttered simply as they landed on the grassy field, continuing their mad dash away from the floating island.

Kakos' eyes narrowed, "Why? They haven't even awoken yet!"

The white hedgehog stared at his partner nonchalantly as he grabbed onto the sleeve of Kakos' cloak, "I realize that, but I wish to see the potential of their powers, and this will keep them motivated. Besides, their powers will be needed for the awakening, so no harm shall befall them now."

The vulpine frowned, "You do realize Sarx won't be too happy."

Eclipse's eyes narrowed at his partner's bold statement, "I will handle it. The Master Emerald is not one of our highest priorities."

Then, in a soft flash of luminous white light, the two mysterious intruders of Angel Island were gone.

* * *

Author's Note - Yeah, Shadow got his ass handed to him. Now that he knows he's inferior to his brother, what will the ultimate life form do next? Don't miss Chapter 20, entitled: _What Have I Been Doing?_


	20. What Have I Been Doing?

Chapter 20- What Have I Been Doing?

Lazy rays of the sun shone through thin curtains of the Station Square hospital. The room was a pure, snowy white, a single bed all that occupied it. In the bed, sat up right, was Shadow the Hedgehog.

He had healed most of his wounds he had received from his previous encounter about three hours ago on Angel Island, the encounter with his brother, Eclipse.

_Flashback _

"_You've grown..."_

_Kakos got out of his stance and stood up straight, turning his head around to give his partner a curious look, "Hm?"_

_The robed figure turned around to acknowledge the newcomer's presence "...Shadow."_

_Sonic's and Knuckles' eyes both doubled their regular sizes at the sight of the ultimate life form, who had suddenly appeared and was standing a good twenty feet behind the still unidentified figure._

_There was no flash of Chaos Control, no fancy entrance like usual, he had just appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The two heroes protecting the Master Emerald felt shivers going down their spines at the sight of the ultimate life form._

_His face. It was something they had never seen before from the dark hedgehog, not even when he was under the Dark Emerald's influence. His mouth was twisted into a ferocious snarl. His bottom lip was twitching in anger and his top lip was raised so high it nearly touched his nose._

_His white teeth shone dangerously under the morning mist. The dark hedgehog's fists were clenched so hard one could hear the faint sound of the glove's smooth material rubbing together. His brows were furrowed so low that they nearly met at an angled point between his eyes. _

_The ultimate life form looked like a mad, hell-bent demon straight from the dark depths themselves, more than ready to cut down anyone foolish enough to get into his path. But one, single characteristic stood out the most on the hate-contorted face of the obsidian one._

_His eyes..._

_Eyes of hate, eyes of anger, eyes of evil..._

_Eyes of revenge._

_His teeth parted slowly as Shadow muttered the single most-hate filled name he had ever uttered, his crimson eyes still focused only on the still unidentified figure, rolling it off his tongue like a poison._

"_Eclipse...the Hedgehog."_

_Sonic took a step back instantly, his eyes growing to the size of plates, his mouth agape, more than ready to drop to the ground if it were capable._

"_E-Eclipse...the Hedgehog?" the cerulean hedgehog stuttered, repeating the dark hedgehog's words while taking another small step back in shock once again, as if unable to believe the name he had heard._

_Shadow's brother? The homicidal maniac? The one that had killed everyone on Ark?_

_It wasn't possible._

_To his dismay, all of the hedgehog's doubts were washed away as the short figure slowly raised his hand and lifted the dark hood off his head._

_It was a hedgehog. One that looked almost exactly like Shadow. _

_Instead of black, his fur was white. Instead of red highlights in his quills, he had silver ones. Unlike Shadow's four quills that stuck out to the sides evenly, this hedgehog's intertwined. The bottom two pointed up and the top two pointed down._

_There was no mistaking it now. This was the guy, the one Shadow had been training to defeat. Sonic's eyes instantly narrowed. _

_He was the reason Shadow had turned so cold. He took everything away from him, cast him into a dark and lonely hell..._

_...And the two were staring each other dead in the eye._

_Furious, hateful burning ruby eyes._

_Impassive, half-lidded silver eyes._

_Long lost brothers._

_Kakos' mouth twisted into a toothy smirk, his eyes scanning over the ultimate life form and then over his partner, "Hm, he looks similar to you, who is he?"_

_After a small pause, the hedgehog answered nonchalantly, "My brother."_

_End Flashback _

Sonic and Knuckles had rushed the dark one off the island and to the hospital as soon as Eclipse and his partner Kakos had disappeared. He couldn't blame them, what else could they have done? Although, he didn't really want to rely on their aid, he was glad they had brought him back.

Rouge and Amy were the only ones still there when they had arrived, Sonic carrying Shadow on his back. The bat had demanded what had happened, as well as the pink female that had been cleared from the hospital.

The whole story was told to the females in two, seemingly everlasting minutes. After that, they had brought Shadow to a room for him to recover.

The dark hedgehog's eyes narrowed, he was sure they were still waiting outside for him to get better. He had been conscious through the whole event, but was unable to move from the severe beating that he took from his brother.

His brother...

"_You're still weak."_

His words hung over the dark hedgehog's mind like a swirling, gray storm cloud. In his brother's eyes, he was weak. He didn't even seem serious during the fight, even when Shadow had summoned the powers of the Dark Emerald that Mephiles had forcefully lodged into his chest.

It hadn't been enough, in fact, it wasn't even close.

The ultimate life form clenched his hands into fists, gripping the white sheets covering his body tightly. It had driven him crazy. His brother's nonchalant gaze, as if he hadn't even cared about Shadow fighting him.

Instead, he was more interested in Sonic, his blue look-alike.

_Flashback _

_The Ark murderer lifted his foot off the stone step and made a slow stride towards Sonic, passing both a bewildered Knuckles and an enraged Shadow. But the injuries he had taken prevented the black hedgehog from leaping at his brother again. He needed at least a few moments to regain some of his strength. _

_The blue blur instinctively backed up a few steps when Eclipse stopped a few feet in front of him, his silver eyes regarding him impassively._

"_Sonic...isn't it?" he asked, more if so demanded quietly._

_All the blue hedgehog could do after a moment's hesitation was nod slightly. He was in no position to take action against the more powerful hedgehog after he had just witnessed Shadow getting beaten to a pulp._

"_You son of a bitch!" Shadow roared hatefully, charging for his older brother once again, some of his strength recovered but mostly fueled on adrenaline and anger, "Your fight is with me!"_

_Reeling back his leg in mid-run, the obsidian hedgehog swung it at his brother._

_Eclipse easily caught Shadow's kick that was aimed directly for his head with his hand without even turning, throwing his sibling onto the ground like he was nothing more than a rag doll. The dark hedgehog's eyes snapped shut as he grimaced in pain for a split moment. Ripping his crimson eyes open again, he saw his brother standing over him menacingly, a hint of annoyance lacing his face._

"_I am not interested in you right now."_

_End Flashback _

His words hung in Shadow's mind like a poisonous cloud. He wasn't interested in him, he was interested in the Master Emerald and in that idiot.

How? Why?

Had it all been in vain, everything he had tried to do? There was a huge power gap between the two brothers, but why hadn't it closed at all? He could practically see his brother regarding him with that nonchalant gaze he had given him hours before, acting as if his killing attempts were mere child's play.

He then realized, at that very second, that he was absolutely no match for Eclipse.

The white and silver hedgehog was way out of his league, even that immature fox had a better chance than he did at defeating him. But why was he on Angel Island in the first place?

It was an irrelevant thought that quickly disappeared to the back of the ultimate life form's mind as quickly as it had come. Who cared why he was there?

But his brother's words that stuck out of his rather limited vocabulary a while ago was the thing that infuriated him the most, and also made him wonder.

_Flashback _

"_You've disappointed me, little brother. You're still weak."_

_It was a simple, flat and deadpanned statement. No arrogance and no disgust were held in his words, they were spoken as if they had regarded the weather. _

_And all Shadow could do as a retort was cough, sending more blood seeping from his mouth. He seemingly had proven his brother's point._

"_Why?" Eclipse asked simply, stating the question as if Shadow was the one asking it._

_The charcoal-colored hedgehog managed to open one eye to gaze into the two nonchalant silver ones of his brother._

"_You still have too many attachments."_

_Shadow's one eye widened slightly at the murmured statement. Attachments? Did he mean friends? Comrades?_

"_You lack the thing you must feed on in order to kill me, you're not willing to give everything away for your purpose" the taller hedgehog murmured almost solemnly, as if he was regretting his words._

_Eclipse leaned in, his mouth right above Shadow's ear. The dark hedgehog could feel his brother's hot breath smiting his sensitive hearing aid as his open eye widened even more at the next set of words to leave the white hedgehog's mouth._

"_You lack hatred, little brother."_

_End Flashback _

He lacked hatred?

Did he, or was his brother once again sickly toying with his mind like over fifty years ago, his words encrypted as if in another language Shadow could not begin to understand? The dark hedgehog had made it his goal to destroy his brother for his actions aboard the space colony fifty years ago, and when the time finally came, he had not put a single scratch on him.

Maybe what the white hedgehog said was really true. Maybe he did lack raw, powerful hatred...

...Maybe he was weak because of his...attachments.

Sonic, Rouge, Knuckles, Amy...

They were his attachments, the things that kept him here. Shadow's mind began to twirl and twist. Were they making him weak?

After the beating he had taken, after being second to that blue moron, not just once three hours ago, but also during their fight against Algos in Painite Desert he began to wonder if this was truly where he belonged, in the shadow of an idiotic moron.

He had failed to defeat the sand menace, and who was the one that saved the day and made him look like a fool?

Sonic...

The name lingered in his twisted mind like a poison. How could he, the ultimate life form, be second to that fake hedgehog? How could that moron have accomplished two things he could not? Defeat the mysterious Algos...and gain his homicidal brother's attention.

His mind shifted back to Eclipse. He had told him to awaken fifty years ago. Awaken from what? From cryogenic stasis? No, that had occurred. From what should he awaken from?

The answer finally hit him like a ton of bricks, his vermilion eyes widening. He should awaken from this fairytale-like dream of peace that his mind was focused on. The dark hedgehog was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts by the door to his room creaking open.

Glancing up, his hands letting the bed sheets out of his vice grip, he spotted Sonic coming in with a goofy grin on his face, followed by Rouge carrying a tray of food.

"Hey, man," Sonic greeted, standing beside the dark hedgehog's bed, "Nice to see you're awake."

The ultimate life form glared darkly at his counterpart, his thoughts still on the events that had occurred on Angel Island. Rouge could basically feel the tension between the two, even though Sonic was still wearing that grin of his, so she decided to break it.

"I brought you some food, Shadow," she announced, quietly walking over to his bedside.

With a small hesitation, the huntress leaned over and held the tray of food that had some bread and soup to the dark hedgehog for him to take.

Shadow's glare instantly fell upon the bat, startling her slightly.

Then, in one smooth motion, the back of Shadow's left hand swatted the tray away from him and Rouge's grasp. The bat let out a startled gasp of air as the metal tray hit the smooth white floor with a loud clank, the contents of the soup pouring onto the floor.

Sonic's eyes widened instantly, "Shadow?"

"Fight me," the ultimate life form commanded harshly, redirecting his fiery glare towards him.

Sonic took a step back out of shock, "What?"

"Fight me!" Shadow repeated, throwing the covers from his body and jumping out of the bed in a flash.

Rouge jumped back slightly to avoid being knocked over by the dark hedgehog, who seemingly didn't even know she existed at the moment.

"Shadow," she cooed, placing a hand on his arm, "You're not well enough yet, you need to rest!"

"Don't touch me," the ebony hedgehog hissed icily, roughly pulling his arm out of her grasp.

The huntress' eyes widened, what had happened to him? He was never like this before. Sadness mixed with confusion flew through the bat's mind as Shadow kept his dark gaze on Sonic.

The blue hedgehog had not budged at Shadow's sudden command.

"Why?" Sonic finally asked, breaking the uneasy silence.

"I need to prove something," Shadow spat in return, tightening his left hand into a ball, "Prove that I am superior to you!"

The blue blur's eyes instantly narrowed, "What makes you think you're superior to me?"

The dark hedgehog's mouth twisted into a dark smirk, one that frightened the onlooking bat, "Everything."

"This is no place for a fight Shadow," Sonic tried to reason.

He really did not wish to fight the dark hedgehog, under any circumstances, but especially not under these.

"I'll find a suitable place," the crimson tainted hedgehog responded coldly, "You will fight me, moron..."

"...Or you'll be killed."

Both Rouge and Sonic froze at the ultimate life form's threat on the blue blur's life.

Rouge's pupils shook out of fear, her hands trembling. Had he just meant what he said, that he would kill Sonic if he refused to fight him? She couldn't believe it. He had changed so much, he wasn't close to the person he was two years ago.

What happened?

Sonic overcame his sudden shock, his eyes narrowing, a grim look on his face, "Fine Shadow, I'll fight you."

A dark and twisted, yet satisfied smirk appeared on the ultimate life form's face, a single thought floating in his mind as he continued to stare down his look-alike.

_'What have I been doing?'_

* * *

Author's Note- Sonic and Shadow finally face off in the next chapter entitled: _A Thirst for Power_, coming your way tomorrow! 


	21. A Thirst for Power

Chapter 21- A Thirst for Power

"This will be suitable enough," Shadow snorted as he stopped dead in his tracks, causing the blue hedgehog, pink hedgehog and white bat following him to stop as well.

Amy Rose was also with them since they passed her on the way out and demanded not to be left behind. Knuckles had already returned to Angel Island to guard the Master Emerald by the time they left the hospital.

They were in a forest clearing outside of Station Square. It seemed like a giant ring, since the clearing was almost in a perfect circle, high trees surrounding it on all sides.

A gust of wind blew over the area, rousing some leaves from the trees and swaying the grass. Shadow and Sonic's quills waved in rhythm with nature's breath as the dark hedgehog turned around slowly to look at his counterpart.

Then, without a sign or a warning, Shadow took off towards the blue blur, his body a mere black and red flash. Sonic's eyes widened out of surprise by the sudden charge as his hand shot out to capture Shadow's fist in his palm.

The ultimate life form released no shocked look or words as he flipped over his copy, landing behind him and aiming a round house kick at his head. Sonic ducked in time to feel the air pressure the powerful kick had created against his quills. Bending his knees, the hero shot into the air, raising his right hand in a swiping position.

"Rouge, Amy, get out of the way!" Sonic bellowed, catching the white bat's and pink hedgehog's attention.

The two females complied without question and ran for cover into the trees, staying just under the first couple of nature's children to still watch the battle.

Then, with one powerful swipe, Sonic released a blue gust of energy towards Shadow.

The black blur's face remained emotionless as he darted to the left to avoid the attack. The Sonic Wind hit the ground the next instant, creating a large cut deep in the earth with a cloud of dirt, as if some giant knife had sliced it.

Shadow sped up and headed for the closest tree in his range.

With a bend of his knees, the hedgehog jumped against the rough bark and stayed there for a second with both of his hands on it to create an extra boost before he catapulted off the tree towards the still airborne Sonic.

The cerulean hedgehog grit his teeth as Shadow's fist barely missed his head, only swiping a few loose hairs off. Sonic took the opportunity of the opening and tacked the dark hedgehog, sending them both crashing to the ground, Sonic landing on top of Shadow.

The dark hedgehog showed sings of frustration for the first time since the battle started and kicked the sea colored hedgehog off with a powerful swipe of his leg.

Sonic closed one eye in pain before he skidded to a halt on the ground, his left hand supporting him as he stood there in a crouched position.

"Hmph," came Shadow's only vocal addition to the fight as he jumped up and darted for his look-alike again, swinging his left fist at him.

Just as he had expected, Sonic ducked under it. A small smirk played Shadow's lips as he raised his knee, digging it into the blue hedgehog's stomach. Sonic's emerald eyes widened as his mouth twisted open to let out a silent scream of pain.

-

"Sonic!" Amy called frantically to her crush, attempting a mad dash for him.

Rouge caught the frantic pink hedgehog in time and wrapped her arms around her frail body to hold her back, "No Amy, it's too dangerous."

"Let me go!" the rose female protested as she wiggled in her bat friend's firm grip.

After ten seconds, the hedgehog gave up and the bat loosened her grip, letting her Sonic-obsessed friend stand on her own. She too, however, could not entirely hide her concern for the blue hedgehog, as well as the black one, though.

-

Sonic tumbled to the ground for an instant before his body shot back up out of pure instinct, just in time to block another kick from Shadow with his own leg.

A loud boom echoed through the air as both hedgehogs simultaneously drew back their legs. Sonic's eyes narrowed, his jade eyes aflame as he made his first offensive maneuver since his Sonic Wind.

Grabbing his dark look-alike by the quills, he pulled Shadow's head down and drove his knee straight into his face. A small grunt of pain shot from Shadow's mouth as Sonic delivered another blow, this time in the form of a punch to the dark hedgehog's stomach.

Closing one eye in pain, Shadow suddenly blinked away from Sonic's line of sight.

'_Chaos Control_,' the blue hedgehog thought as his eyes scanned the area for the dark one.

What he didn't notice was Shadow appearing right behind him and before the hero could react, the ultimate life form grabbed both of the blue blur's wrists and forced him down to his knees with a simple twist.

And as the icing on the cake, Shadow planted his right foot between Sonic's shoulder blades, adding pressure to the hedgehog's arms, shoulders and back.

Sonic's mouth opened in pain before he grit his teeth in order to avoid crying out from it. Shadow smirked sadistically as he added more pressure to his foot, pulling the blue hedgehog's arms back more.

This time, the blue speed demon could not withhold the scream of pain that escaped his lips.

-

"S-Sonic," Amy gasped in shock, putting a hand to her mouth, tears brimming in the corners of her jade eyes.

"Stop it!" Rouge yelled to Shadow, but the ultimate life form paid her no heed.

What had he become?

-

"Do you still think I'm not superior to you?" Shadow asked icily as he tugged on Sonic's arms even more, a loud crack echoing through the air.

The ultimate life form smirked as Sonic squeezed his eyes shut from the pain. He had not broken anything, but he was pretty damn close. Calling upon some of the hidden power reserves within his body, the blue hero channeled it into his arms.

"Sh-**Shadow**!" Sonic roared, a boost of power and adrenaline fueling his worn-out body.

To the ultimate life form's shock, Sonic's fists clenched tightly as he began pulling his arms back the opposite way. Before Shadow could add more pressure to them, the blue blur spun around, twisting his own body and causing the ultimate life form to forcefully released his vice grip.

Jade eyes stared into red ones as Sonic grabbed Shadow's left arm, shifting his gravity and throwing the dark hedgehog into the air.

Momentarily shocked from the hedgehog's sudden power boost, Shadow shook it off when he saw Sonic beginning to form a light blue sphere of energy in his right hand.

"Shit," the obsidian hedgehog cursed, straightening out his right arm and grabbing a hold of his right wrist with his left hand, a sizzling orb of energy forming in his hand as well as he landed on the ground, taking off towards his rival.

"Shining Lance!" Sonic bellowed, indicating to Shadow that the blue blur had completed his hurricane-like attack.

"Chaos Spear!" Shadow yelled as if to accept Sonic's challenge.

The black hedgehog felt the power of his attack also reach completion as he sped up, his hover shoes flaring under him, his Chaos Spear sizzling behind him, his red eyes wide with anger and anticipation.

Sonic bent his knees and also took off, his Shining Lance swirling behind him, the same look Shadow was wearing also plastered on his face.

"**What's wrong with you?**" Sonic shouted at the top of his voice.

"**I'm the superior one between us**!" the ultimate life form screamed back at equal volume.

They were getting closer and closer to each other, so, in unison, each pulled the arm carrying their respective attacks forward and turned it into the tip of their arrow-mimicking bodies.

-

Amy couldn't take it anymore. All the fighting, all the chaos, all the hate recently. It was too much for the young hedgehog. Prying herself out of Rouge's grip, the young pink hedgehog dashed for the two fighting males.

"**Don't**!"

-

Shadow and Sonic's eyes both widened at the sight of the pink hedgehog running right into their line of fire.

"Damn it," the ebony hedgehog hissed as he re-averted his direction, heading towards one of the trees instead, unable to stop the charge.

Sonic followed suite and ran towards the tree next to the one Shadow would hit. With two loud explosions accompanied by a cloud of wood and dust, the two attacks hit the trees, completely destroying them.

Amy stopped, finally realizing just what she had done, she could have been killed if the two hadn't noticed her and continued their attacks!

Shadow and Sonic both rose from the ground after hitting the two trees, their eyes instantly meeting. Then, in a flash, Shadow huffed and turned his head away with a jerk.

Sonic managed to smile slightly before he was smothered by a pink blur that wrapped itself around him.

The blue blur's smile turned dry as he patted the wailing female on the back, "It's all right Amy, I'm fine."

"Oh Sonic," she cried into his shoulder, "I was so worried about you!"

Rouge also came to the small group, instantly receiving a sharp glare from the ultimate life form, "Why do you two always get in my way?"

The huntress gulped slightly. The way he stared at her unnerved the albino bat. Amy decided to answer for her.

"I'm tired of all this fighting," she murmured in response, not releasing her hold on Sonic.

A wave of silence hit the air before Shadow turned away, "Maybe my brother was right, you're a hindrance."

Aqua emerald eyes widened at the sudden statement. A hindrance? Is that what Eclipse had said? She felt her world beginning to crumble. She was nothing more to him than a hindrance, an obstacle?

Then, in a flash of light, he was gone from the spot, leaving a bewildered Sonic, a crying Amy, and a heartbroken Rouge.

-

Cool air danced with the leaves, a cherry blossom tree on the edge of a small pond rustling slightly. Amidst all of nature's beauty was someone that seemed out of place. One with dark fur and an even darker soul.

He was contemplating, thinking. He had been for a while now after his small fight with Sonic that ended in a stalemate thanks to an over-emotional bat. He snorted at the thought. She, along with everyone else, always got in his way.

"_You still have too many attachments."_

His brother's nonchalant, taunting voice danced in his head. Too many attachments, too many friends.

They were holding him back...

"_You lack the thing you must feed on in order to kill me."_

He lacked hatred. Pure, unflinching hatred.

Why? Because he was here, that's why.

His brother slowly drifted to a corner of his mind as a few leaves fell onto the pond before him.

One of the leaves slowly began to sink in the pond and for some reason even the dark hedgehog could not explain, Shadow reached out to grab it as if stirred by a sudden instinct. His gloved hand only scooped up water though; the leaf was too far down in the pond. The only way he could get it was by getting in the pond himself.

It hit him.

His realization.

It was just as the leaf and the pond.

The leaf represented his brother, drowned in darkness and hate and out of the ultimate life form's reach.

He represented himself, trying to reach him but coming up shorthanded.

He finally understood it perfectly.

In order to catch the leaf, in order to catch his brother, he had to get into the pond himself...

...He had to drown himself in darkness.

_Flashback _

"_I'll admit your powers are impressive Shadow," the voice, undoubtedly belonging to Mephiles, hissed, "However, you are no match for me or your brother at your current level._"

_Bloody eyes widened when Shadow heard Mephiles mutter the next few words right behind him, "You're weak. But...I can change that. I can help you gain power, the power you so desperately chase after."_

_End Flashback _

Yes, he could give him the power he needed. Mephiles the Dark.

It was then, that the dark hedgehog decided it. He needed power. To obtain power, he needed to drown himself in darkness.

_The emerald in his chest started pulsing in response._

To drown himself in darkness, he needed to find Mephiles.

_It's power and influence increased each second as the hedgehog thought and planned further._

To find Mephiles, he would need to leave.

_The Dark Emerald erupted with newfound power, sending waves of sadistic thought through its host's mind. The actions he were about to take alone sent a new power level through his body._

* * *

Author's Note - Shadow's made a choice, but will he follow through with it? Find out in the next chapter entitled: _Love and Betrayel_. 


	22. Love and Betrayal

**Chapter 22- Love and Betrayal**

Rouge managed to smile dryly as Sonic told another lame joke about someone's mother. To her the blue hedgehog just sounded so repetitive. Amy, of course, laughed hysterically.

She didn't know, maybe it was funny and maybe she would have laughed, if her mind would not have been drifting. Drifting to a ebony and crimson hedgehog.

His recent actions betrayed her views and thoughts on him completely. She thought he was kind and soft-spoken, yet he was malicious and confident.

He had changed completely since she saw him for the first time on Ark. He had been trying to destroy the world, but he wasn't so...evil when he had, and he had saved it in the end anyway.

The ultimate life form seemed to float among endless shadows of darkness now, far from her reach. This new Shadow frightened the treasure huntress.

Twirling a fork in her fingers, her aqua marine eyes narrowed when she saw Sonic taking a bite off his fifth Chili Dog. He had brought the two females to a small restaurant on the edge of town after the incident with him and Shadow, reassuring them both that it was no big deal.

He was wrong, it was a big deal, a very big deal. After all, the dark hedgehog did charge at Sonic with the intent of seriously hurting him.

Maybe...even killing him.

Shadow had disappeared after the fight and she, neither Sonic nor Amy, had any idea where he went, but he seemed annoyed and thoughtful the last time she had seen him. The bat gazed through the window to see that the sun had set. Glancing over at the clock, her eyes widened slightly when it read midnight.

"Sorry guys, I have to go," Rouge announced as she jumped from her chair, letting the fork in her hand fall onto the counter with a soft clank.

"What?" Amy shot out, her eyes glazing over her companion questionably, "Where are you going?"

"Home," she bit out. But even the bat herself knew that this wasn't the truth. She was going to go look for the her former teammate.

Sonic cast a worried glance to the bat, seeing right through her lie. "Rouge," he said, getting her to stop and look at him, "Don't worry about Shadow, he'll cool down soon enough."

The famed treasure huntress managed to hide her worry with a fake smile. "I know Sonic," she said, waving it off with her hand, "But I'm really tired, so I'll see you guys later!"

Amy nodded enthusiastically, more than happy that she was going to be alone with her blue hero, "Bye Rouge."

Who could blame the young pink hedgehog for being so naïve after all? She didn't see the bigger picture of things often.

Sonic waved as well, all though not with as much enthusiasm as the pink hedgehog, "Yeah, bye Rouge."

The bat waved again and walked out of the restaurant, leaving the two hedgehogs alone with the only other presence being that of the few workers left inside of the kitchen.

"So Sonic," Amy purred, twirling her finger over his arm seductively, "We're all alone now..."

Jade eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"**Rouge, come back**!"

"...Aw, don't be so shy, my darling Sonic."

* * *

The huntress saw Club Rouge in the distance, just a few more minutes away. Everything was completely silent, no one was outside anymore. She couldn't blame them, it was past midnight.

Wrapping her arms around her body in a feeble attempt to comfort her shivering form, her mind began to wander again as she fiddled with her keys.

_Flashback _

_Shadow smirked again, when suddenly, his eyes widened. If Mephiles was defeated, why was the shield still up?_

_No sooner had those thoughts crossed his mind, Mephiles bolted out of the smoke, completely unharmed, with something black glittering in his right hand._

_Shadow barely had time to register what had happened before the phantom was directly in front of him and thrust the hand with the shimmering object into his ebony and white tinted chest._

_The dark hedgehog's eyes widened as his mouth opened in shock and pain, "Uh-"_

_Sonic and Knuckles' eyes immediately widened as well._

_Amy put a hand to her mouth out of shock as Rouge yelled an emotional: "Shadow!"_

_End Flashback_

Her eyes narrowed as she paused in front of her door to the club.

Mephiles...

He had caused all of this, made Shadow be so cold and aggressive, but why? There was no logical reason, as far as she could see, for the phantom to come after Shadow. They had been enemies in Soleanna after all, so why did he let them get away without so much as a wound? Why had he healed Shadow's broken arm?

Why would he-

The answer to the cut-off question hit her like a ton of bricks. It was as if she had been dumped into a pool of ice water as her half-lidded eyes widened completely out of cold, dead realization.

"_Do not worry, Sonic, we will all meet again, especially Shadow and I. He will come for me and my promise."_

Those words darted through the bat's mind again and again like an endlessly repeating line through darkness.

Power.

It was that which Shadow desired, that which Mephiles had offered. Shutting out any sensible doubt in her mind of the dark hedgehog's actions, the bat dropped the keys to her home onto the cold pavement, her fingers numbing over.

Then, going by the raw feeling in her gut, the famed treasure huntress sped towards the Station Square Bridge, the most obvious way out of the town.

* * *

Shadow's red eyes gazed over a small photograph in his living quarters, which was nothing more than a small apartment with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room.

His G.U.N. equipment sat in a small corner of his living room, leaning against a single couch. It was standard equipment, even if he was a special agent for the organization. One dark green vest with the G.U.N. insignia, a single standard hand gun, and a small radio head-set.

The dark hedgehog knew that his actions would label him as a rogue agent and he would most likely be put on the organization's most-wanted list of criminals. But it was all worth it, if the path he was about to go on would lead it his brother's death.

The moonlight illuminated his face, his eyes never once closing to blink as his vermilion eyes remained completely focused on the picture.

It was a picture of Sonic, Amy, Rouge, Knuckles, Tails and himself. They were all standing on a grassy field under a large tree, the sun shining down on all of them.

Lifting up its mahogany frame for him to see better, his eyes finally narrowed.

Sonic, his rival, had one arm draped around his shoulder and the other around Tails. Knuckles stood next to Tails, giving the one who had taken the picture, one of the three Chaotix if he remembered correctly, a thumbs up. Rouge was on his other side, smiling brightly. Amy was beside her, giving the biggest smile she could.

He looked off into the distance, as if brooding and not wanting to be there in the first place.

Then, with one swipe of his hand, the hedgehog set the picture back down onto its stand. Silence flooded into the apartment before he slowly lowered the picture onto the desk. With a soft clank, Shadow removed the photograph from its frame, folded it up, and tucked it under his left glove.

After a small moment's hesitation, he grabbed a brown cloak from the same desk and wrapped it around his body with an elegant wave so that his chest and arm were hidden. The ultimate life form slowly walked towards the door, opening it and then closing it behind him with a soft click, stuffing his hands into the pockets of the cloak when he was in the dark staircase.

He silently walked down the stairwell until he came to the main door, opening it with a creak and walking into the night's darkness, one destination in mind:

Station Square Bridge.

* * *

Rouge increased her pace, the bridge coming into view up ahead, starting off as tiny and increasing in size with each step that she took.

Her stomach wrenched again, as if giving the bat some kind of signal to hurry onwards.

He couldn't, he wouldn't...would he?

* * *

His eyes were closed, as if regretting the actions he himself was playing into, his hands still firmly stuffed into the pockets of the dark brown cloak wrapped around his body.

With each step he took, his expression turned more solemn. The soft clanks of his futuristic hover shoes hitting the pavement were reminiscent of gongs on a clock tower, striking fear into the hearts of everyone that heard it.

He had made it to the bridge, passing no one he had known, in fact, he passed no one at all. It was as if he was beckoned to leave. There were no obstacles, only an open door in the form of a bridge that lead to power and the death of Eclipse.

And he had decided to take it.

The dark water that the bridge was made to cross calmly swirled with little noise, the moonlight making parts of it shine brilliantly, while other parts were left in the darkness.

Just like he was.

His eyes calmly opened when he heard foot steps that were not his own. They were coming from the middle part of the large bridge and through the clearly illuminating moonlight, he could see a figure standing there, blocking his path.

Shadow's eyes held no hint of emotion as he saw Rouge the Bat step out of the shadows, her hand tightly grasping the other as she quietly observed the oncoming Shadow.

His gaze held total indifference as he came closer to the bat, arching his path, and brushing past her without a single word, just as if she wasn't even there.

Momentary shock overcame her features at the hedgehog's actions. Her eyes fell to their regular sizes again as she heard Shadow's foot steps drifting farther and farther away from her.

"Shadow," she suddenly whispered, just above an audible level.

The dark hedgehog stopped walking, his face still as nonchalant as ever. Waves of moonlight and darkness rolled over his face as he stood still.

"Why did you become like this?" she asked, crystal-like tears brimming on the corners of her emerald eyes.

Rouge had promised herself that she would not cry when she encountered the dark hedgehog, but her actions betrayed her plans. It was simply too much for her to take.

"You shut everyone out, even me," the huntress continued after swallowing a dry lump that had formed in her throat at the dark hedgehog's silence, "Why did you become like this?"

The bat slowly turned her body so the cloaked ultimate life form came into her line of vision. He stood completely straight, his body hidden in the folds of the fabric covering his body, and his back turned to her.

'_Please say something_,' she thought desperately. She needed to hear him. Something, anything.

"Why do you care what I become?" Shadow snapped back, anger rushing through his veins at the bat's constant bickering.

The wind blew, rustling the cloak around his body slightly after the words had left his lips, revealing his legs momentarily before being covered again.

"You should stop meddling in affairs that don't concern you," he continued coldly before starting to walk away again.

Long crystal lines of water flowed out of the bat's eyes at the statement, down her porcelain cheeks to collect at her chin.

Her mouth twisted into a weak smile, "You act as if nothing has happened between us."

The dark hedgehog stopped in his tracks again, as if acknowledging the bat to continue. Maybe, just maybe, his interest had been snagged. Using the small shimmer of hope, the bat continued.

"We've been through a lot together, haven't we Shadow?" she asked weakly.

The ultimate life form remained silent but the bat ignored that fact. Rouge gulped down a sob and continued, "It was hard, but we always pulled through. I wouldn't trade anything for the memories of our adventures together."

Shadow remained completely silent once again, his half-lidded eyes staring off into the distance.

"I know about what happened on the Ark fifty years ago," she informed him sadly, trying desperately to find a way through his stone-cold barrier that hid his emotions, "I know about how your brother killed everyone you were close to, leaving you alone..."

The ebony hedgehog continued to stare out into the distance, the memories resurfacing in his mind at the words of the bat like a kindling flame.

"...But revenge, that won't make anyone happy. It'll leave you hollow and alone," she whispered quietly, her eyes traveling to the ground, the tears continuing to flow from her marine orbs of sight like endless rivers of sadness.

"I thought that..." his deep, rich voice responded quietly, causing Rouge to look up from the ground. Hope was sparked at the sound of his voice. Maybe, she got him to change his mind.

"...I believed myself to be a hero..."

The bat gulped, choking back a small sob. She had to be strong now, or Shadow would not even acknowledge her and leave without a seconds thought.

"...I tried to make myself believe that my purpose lies here with you, with them, by saving the world and standing by their side..."

His eyes began to flare dangerously into the the air surrounding him, seemingly taking his anger out on anything that surrounded him with a vicious glare.

"...But my heart decided on revenge instead. My brother's death is all that matters to me. I can't continue on living while he does the same."

"If you leave," Rouge sobbed quietly, taking a step towards the ultimate life form, "It would tear my heart out."

Shadow continued to stare off into the distance as he heard the white bat behind him continue, "I have learned the value of friendship through you and Sonic, as well as the painfulness of betrayal and solitude. Will you willingly walk that cold, lonesome path again?"

"...Yes."

With that single heartbreaking word, crushing Rouge's world just like a pebble under the foot of a dinosaur, the ultimate life form began to take steps away from her, and away from her life.

"Shadow...!" Rouge yelled after him, squeezing her eyes shut. It was now or never, she had nothing left to offer him. Only her deepest, darkest secret.

"...**I love you**!"

Shadow stopped again, his eyes half-lidded and nonchalant as ever at the bat's confession. He wasn't shocked, he wasn't intrigued, he wasn't angry, he wasn't sad. There was only complete, heart-wrenching indifference.

"Please...stay with me," she begged, taking another step forward, "You're the only one I've let past my barriers, into my emotions. You're the only one that understands me. Don't...please don't leave me alone."

The dark one remained completely silent, his face as blank as a white sheet of paper. There was a small pause. Then, for the first time, Shadow shifted his upper body towards her so she could finally see his fiery orbs of sight lock onto hers.

His eyes were narrowed, his lips were twisted into a dark, cocky smirk, "You meddle too much."

Rouge' eyes widened out of shock and sorrow at the hedgehog's words, the breath leaving her lungs, disabling her to form any kind of response. Then, with a swift jerk of his body, causing his cloak to flutter, he turned around and began walking away.

"**Don't leave**!" Rouge yelled after him, her voice trembling in sadness, "**If you do, I won't be afraid to fight**"-

She cut herself off when he suddenly disappeared in a flash of light, momentarily illuminating the dark area around them both. For a split second, the bat thought he had simply used Chaos Control to warp far away, but those thoughts shattered when she felt a mild, hot breath smiting her neck.

"Rouge..." his deep, dark, masculine voice purred behind her, causing her eyes to widen slightly. Waves of goosebumps ran through her entire body at the sound of his voice.

What was he going to do? Would he hurt her...would he kill her?

"...Forgive me."

Aquamarine eyes widened again. His words were as cryptic as an ancient Echidna text. Meaning was hidden, reason was dispersed. Before she could say anything to him, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, accompanied by a soft thud.

"Don't..." the bat whispered weakly, her sight and her world beginning to darken, "...leave."

Shadow watched as the bat began to plummet to the ground and for a second, his mind battled over whether to catch her or to simply let her drop.

The dark hedgehog's decision became obvious as he caught the falling bat within his arms and picked her up much like a newlywed groom would his bride.

He stared at her peaceful, tear-stricken face for a second before rushing back into the city with her in his arms, his cloak and her arms fluttering lifelessly in the air behind him, his hover shoes humming softly.

She had tried and given him so much, yet he shrugged it all off. For a moment, he wondered if this was really the right thing to do.

An image of a white and silver hedgehog clad in a black cloak shot through his mind as if to answer the question for him.

"_You still have too many attachments."_

His eyes narrowed instantly, remembering his brother's words the time he had encountered him for the first time after the Ark. His voice and image washed away all doubts in the dark hedgehog's mind as his hands tightened around Rouge's petite form.

There was no going back for him now. He had chosen this.

"_I love you!"_

He had chosen to give up friendship and love.

* * *

Author's Note - Even Rouge was unable to stop Shadow or steer him from his revenge. Is there anyone left to try and save the tainted ultimate life form? Find out in the next chapter entitled: _Wait, Shadow!_


	23. Wait, Shadow!

**Chapter 23- Wait, Shadow!**

Sonic yawned, rubbing one fist into his eyes in an attempt to improve his vision. Blinking several times, the blue hedgehog yawned again before jumping onto his feet. The shades of his favorite palm tree on the Station Square beach rolled over his body as he stretched his arms out to get the blood flow going.

"Time to warm up a little," the speed demon mumbled to himself before stretching out his right leg.

Going at an easy warm-up pace, the hero started jogging into the already hustling and bustling city of Station Square, unaware of the trials he would soon face.

* * *

"_Rouge...forgive me."_

An albino bat shot up fromher large, king-sized bed in Club Rouge, rocking its metallic frame slightly. Startled by her location, Rouge's eyes scanned her room frantically. It took her a few seconds to calm down and get her breathing under control, but when she did, one question flashed into her mind, one as obvious as the ceiling above her.

_'Why am I here?'_

She didn't remember coming home last night. Her eyes fell to her clothes, which were still the ones she wore last night. Surely, if she had come home, she would have changed into her night clothes. Had someone brought her here?

That's when cold, unforgiving realization hit her.

_Flashback _

"_I thought that..." his deep, rich voice responded quietly, causing Rouge to look up from the ground. Hope was sparked at the sound of his voice. Maybe, she got him to change his mind._

"_...I believed myself to be a hero..."_

_The bat gulped, choking back a small sob. She had to be strong now, or Shadow would not even acknowledge her and leave without a seconds thought._

"_...I tried to make myself believe that my purpose lies here with you, with them by saving the world and standing by their side..."_

_His eyes began to flare dangerously into the the air surrounding him, seemingly taking his anger out on anything that surrounded him with a vicious glare._

"_...But my heart decided on revenge instead. My brother's death is all that matters to me. I can't continue living while he does the same."_

* * *

"_...Yes."_

_With that single heartbreaking word, crushing Rouge's world just like a pebble under the foot of a dinosaur, the ultimate life form began to take steps away from her, and away from Station Square._

"_Shadow...!" Rouge yelled after him, squeezing her eyes shut. It was no or never, she had nothing left to offer him, only her deepest, darkest secret._

"_...**I love you**!"_

_Shadow stopped again, his eyes half-lidded and nonchalant as ever at the bat's confession. He wasn't shocked, he wasn't intrigued, he wasn't angry, he wasn't sad. There was only complete, heart-wrenching indifference._

"_Please...stay with me," she begged, taking another step forward, "You're the only one I've let pst my barriers, into my emotions. You're the only one that understands me. Don't...please don't leave me."_

_End Flashback _

He was gone.

Shadow had left, she had tried to convince him to stay, even confessed her love for him, but still failed.

Immediate sadness rushed through the bat's body like a raging river. Shadow the Hedgehog, the one she had known, gone on adventures with, and...loved was gone.

He was gone...

Those three words repeated themselves in her head again and again. Shadow had left, he was gone.

Unconsciously, her body started shaking, eyes once again brimming with tears for what seemed the thousandth time over the past few days. Shadow had left on a quest for power in order to obtain his revenge upon his older brother Eclipse. In the process, he had left all his friends behind, cast away as if they never existed.

But the thing that hurt the bat the most was the fact that he had left her.

After everything they had been through, after all the feats they had accomplished together, he merely tossed her to the way-side as if she was nothing more than a used tissue.

The Biolizard, Metal Sonic, Black Doom and Iblis.

All the foes they had defeated together alongside Sonic, Amy, Tails, Knuckles and the rest of their friends. Did he really not care about them or what they had done together?

Did he really not care about...her?

With a massive and sorrowful gulp, Rouge slowly lifted her body off her bed, a single idea forming in her shattered mind.

Maybe there was still time to convince him and save him from Mephiles, Eclipse and his own fate. She knew of only one other person on this planet that had a stronger connection with Shadow than she did. A person that held the same color as the sea.

And so, the famed huntress ran into Station Square in search of the legendary hero, the one who was the only one capable of brining Shadow back to her:

Sonic the Hedgehog.

* * *

Rounding another corner, Sonic flashed a toothy grin to a small group of giggling female hedgehogs standing in front of a bus stop, causing them to erupt into even greater fits of childish giggling and blushing.

Hey, who could resist all these adoring fans?

Winking at a couple of teenage fox girls standing in front of a salon, Sonic rounded another corner before his eyes widened at the sight of white fur. Immediately skidding to a halt, Sonic managed to avoid crashing into the person, instead falling on his rump from the sudden stop.

The blue hedgehog rubbed his backside painfully, "Ow, that's gonna leave a mark."

His eyes shot up to the person, "Hey buddy, what's your--"

The hero's voice died down, disappearing back into his vocal cords at the sight of a crying white bat clad in a black and purple jumpsuit.

"Rouge?" the speedster asked unsurely, as if unable to believe the tear-stricken bat in front of him.

Quickly hopping to his feet, ignoring the still present sting in his backside, he reached for her, "What's wrong?"

"Shadow..." she quietly sobbed, causing Sonic's hand to stop, his entire body icing over at the sound of his rival's name coming out of the huntress' mouth. Emerald eyes widened slightly, as if the hedgehog already knew where this was going.

"...He's gone."

Jade eyes widened even more in silent shock at the two words that had escaped the albino bat's lips.

Gone? Gone where?

"Where did he go Rouge?" the legend asked unsurely, his arm still half-way on its way to the huntress' shoulder.

A long, dreadful silence covered the air like a thick blanket before Rouge choked down another sob, parting her dry, cracked lips to speak.

"...To Mephiles."

Sonic's hand that was intended for Rouge's shoulder lifelessly fell to his side at the immediate understanding of the huntress' words.

Those two words explained the entire situation to him.

Mephiles had offered him power, Eclipse had told him that he was weak, so Shadow decided to change that. Green eyes as hollow as wood bore into the the concrete ground. Slowly, the azure hedgehog's fingers curled around his palms to form two shaking fists.

It was as if some greater being from above had hit the pause button to his life.

The entire scene of the city, his adoring fans, the busy pedestrians faded away into darkness at the contemplation of Shadow's actions. He was the only one left in the void, his thoughts echoing through the pitch black realm like rays of light.

Shadow had really left, power hungry, all in order to kill his brother.

He was awoken from the sanctuary of his mind, by Rouge's broken voice, shattering the dark void and bringing him back to the real world. Blinking, he directed his eyes towards the crying bat.

"Sonic...please," she quietly begged, her voice broken and defeated, "You're...the only one...that can bring him back..."

Sonic nodded slowly, his eyes regaining a form of life, a form with a burning, raging anger.

"...You're the only that...can save him...from himself."

Sonic wanted to soothe the bat, calm her and tell her everything was going to be all right. But he couldn't. With each passing second that he wasted standing her, Shadow slipped farther and farther away from his grasp.

He could practically see the black hedgehog tearing though the forest surrounding all of Station Square, his red eyes gleaming with anger and anticipation, his lips twisted into a dark smile.

"Shadow..." Sonic quietly mumbled.

Thousands of images of the black hedgehog cascaded into his mind. They had been rivals, enemies, comrades but above all...

...Friends.

"_Maybe my brother was right, you're a hindrance."_

His cold words were directed at Rouge after she had stopped their fight, but he somehow knew, those words were meant for all of them.

"A hindrance, huh?" the legendary hero asked quietly.

That's all that he thought of them?

Everything had been falling apart lately. Eclipse had been revealed to Shadow...that had been the catalyst to this whole event. Sonic felt his body numb over, the feeling and control in his body leaving him. Shadow had left to go to that demon, Mephiles, for more power.

It enraged the blue hedgehog to no end.

He felt angry but worst of all, hurt.

Shadow had stabbed him in the back the second he decided on becoming a rogue once again. Even if he saved him and brought him back now, the consequences that G.U.N. would enforce upon him would be severe.

But he had to try, he couldn't just let him leave.

"Please," he heard Rouge whisper again, the waterfall of sorrow freely cascading down her face, "This is the only thing I'll ever ask of you...bring Shadow back...please!"

Not knowing what else to do, the blue blur silently nodded at the bat's request.

She was totally heartbroken, even he could tell this much. She had loved Shadow, as a brother, and perhaps even more and he had coldly rejected her and left.

Hesitantly, the hero lifted his right hand, giving the huntress a single sign:

A thumbs-up.

The blue blur's mouth curved into a toothy grin, his green eyes shinning brightly under the impending sun, "Don't worry Rouge, I'll bring Shadow back! It's a promise!"

Through all the sadness and heartache filling her being at the moment, Rouge smiled. She was really grateful to have someone like him to come to her aid.

At the bottom of her heart, she knew that if anyone could save Shadow, it was Sonic.

"Which way did he go?" The azure one asked, this time in a deep and serious tone. His arm had fallen back to his side and his grin was gone. It was time to be serious.

"When I...tried to stop him...he was trying to cross...Station Square Bridge," the albino-furred bat explained quietly, managing to hold back most of her hiccups and sobs.

Sonic nodded as a small gust of wind ruffled his sea-mimicking quills.

Before Rouge could even blink or utter another word to her friend, he was gone.

Turning around, her hopes heightened at the possibility of Shadow's return as she saw a blue blur speeding out of her sight, headed into the direction of the bridge.

_'You're the only one that can save him now, Sonic,'_ Rouge thought as she turned around again, wiping some tears from her face with the back of her sleeve.

She knew what she had to do next and it wouldn't be easy. She had to inform every else on what was going on.

* * *

Sonic was running at speeds never witnessed by anyone. He had broken the sound barrier with a loud boom the second he crossed the bridge out of Station Square into the forest.

Tan arms fluttered behind him along with his cerulean quills and ears. His legs pounded furiously against the forest ground, making all the separate thumps his feet created every time they hit the ground fuse together to sound like a firing machine gun.

His normally passive, relaxed eyes were focused, un-blinking and stone-like. Weaving around trees was no problem for the hedgehog, even at the speed of sound.

Leaves, sticks, even small animals were flung into the air seconds after a small aqua-colored blur had passed, the sheer air pressure created turning everything upside-down. He knew Shadow was fast, just as fast as he was but he had the element of surprise on his side.

The ultimate life form probably wouldn't be expecting him to chase after him so he more than likely was running at a leisurely pace, by their standards of course.

Jade eyes widened when Sonic sensed a weak pulse of an energy pattern of Chaos energy. His vision orbs narrowed the next instant. There was no mistake about it. He knew that energy signature. Relief washed over Sonic.

Shadow wasn't out of his reach quite yet, but the signal was still weak.

"Good," Sonic mumbled to himself, spinning to narrowly avoid a large boulder in his path, all the while maintaining his incredible speed, "At least I can stop following him blindly now."

_'Wait, Shadow,' _the hero thought trough grit teeth and eyes full of determination, _'I won't let you go so easily!'_

He had set a new personal record of speed in his run, but that didn't matter to him. In fact, nothing mattered to him more at the moment than one promise he had just made:

To knock some sense into a backstabbing, black and red hedgehog.

* * *

Author's Note - Will Sonic catch up to Shadow in time, or will the ultimate life form make a quick getaway? Find out next chapter entitled: _As a Leaf in a Pond_.


	24. As a Leaf in a Pond

**Chapter 24- As a Leaf in a Pond**

His speed was tremendous, his motivations were in the front of his racing mind and his intentions were clear.

Sonic the Hedgehog, world-renowned hero of planet Earth was racing through the forest at sound-shattering speeds to save one of his own comrades, one of his own friends...from himself.

Sweat glistened under the rays of the sun peaking through the canopy, Sonic's legs felt like lead already but he edged himself to go on. He knew that if he let up now, there was a possibility Shadow would get away and they would never see him again.

The energy signal Shadow's body was subconsciously emitting was getting stronger by the second, and Sonic knew he wasn't that far away anymore. Like a pulsing heartbeat, the energy signal throbbed stronger each second Sonic took another step into his direction.

The speed demon knew that he was far away from Station Square as it was already, but he had to keep going and bring Shadow back, even by force.

Of course, that option had played in his mind since his first step towards the "rescue". He knew Shadow was determined, as he always was in the past, but as Rouge had told him, he and Shadow had the strongest connection out of all of them.

The ultimate life form was not one to convince to alter his original plans, and Sonic knew it was going to be no small feat but he hoped, with all of his heart, that he could avoid a fight.

Emerald eyes narrowed slightly.

The fight would be bloody and epic, there was no question about that. If a battle were to take place, the blue hedgehog had to make sure it was not around other people. But the way the ebony hedgehog was traveling, Sonic logged the possibility away since he was not headed for any major city.

In fact, it seemed as if he was headed nowhere.

Did he even know where he was going, where Mephiles was located? It didn't matter to Sonic, and probably didn't either to his counterpart.

If Mephiles truly wanted Shadow to come to him, he would find some way to locate him.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Sonic's grass green hues caught a glimpse of another figure in the woods. A heavy brown cloak, hooded face and white and red hover shoes humming loudly over the leaf-filled ground.

There was no mistake about it now, that was definitely Shadow.

Sonic's speed decreased, coming out of the super-sonic stage of sound-toppling tempo. His vision was clear now and he was able to talk. By instinct, Sonic did the first thing that came to mind.

"**SHADOW**!"

The head of the running figure turned slightly and Sonic caught a glimpse of ebony from underneath the dark hood covering the rest of his face. But just as soon as he had turned, his head snapped away as he increased his speed, heading for a bright white light two hundred feet away.

No doubt about it, it was some sort of clearing, free of these monstrous trees.

"Hm hm hm hm," a dark voice snickered venomously, making Sonic perk up immediately.

Jade eyes widened. Was that Shadow?

He had never laughed or snickered like that. It was so different, so intimidating...

...So evil.

"Damn it," the cerulean hedgehog cursed as Shadow skated into the light. Without a seconds thought, Sonic also headed into the divine luminosity, throwing away all fears and doubts, his mind set only on saving his friend.

* * *

The first thing sensitive tan ears picked up with a small flicker was the powerful rush of a waterfall. Emerald eyes slowly adjusted to the change in brightness to see the setting before him.

It was a lake.

Sonic's face fell, _'Of course. It just had to be a lake.'_

There was a giant waterfall in what could have been considered the center of the open valley-like place. Waves upon waves of thunderous water crashed over the side of the large drop. The curtain of water was kept in line by two, almost identical, gray cliff-like boulders on either side of the waterfall.

Below, past a drop of about two hundred feet, the waterfall spilled into the large, circular lake that was surrounded by a vast area of grass land on all sides before leading back into the forest.

Sonic was standing on one boulder, his sneakers creating soft taps as he slowly came to a halt.

He recognized the place instantly: the Lake of Tears.

He had visited this place once before during his travels and had found it to be rather beautiful and peaceful. It was a good length away from Station Square, about three hundred miles or so. Its name must have come from somewhere, but why it was called the Lake of Tears, the hero did not really know, nor did he have time to find out.

There were more serious and pressing matters at hand, matters that included the cloaked, black and red hedgehog standing on the boulder of the other side of the waterfall with his back turned to him.

"**SHADOW**!"

Sonic hadn't even realized he had shouted at the ultimate life form a second time. It seemed the name subconsciously rolled off his tongue.

The loud, shrill call of the hero echoed through the open area again and again like a broken record so many times and at such a high audio level that every living thing within a mile radius could have heard it.

There was no way Shadow couldn't have heard that.

Yet, he took a step away from Sonic.

"Are you scared of me?" the cobalt hedgehog spat, his tone full of venom. Green eyes were narrowed into slits at the dark hedgehog's indifference towards him.

For lack of a better set of words, Shadow was really starting to piss Sonic off.

The ultimate life form halted in mid-step.

Sonic gulped as Shadow slowly began rotating his body to the left. It seemed so painstakingly slow, as if the dark hedgehog had something to hide from him. Emerald eyes widened and pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints when Shadow finally faced him. A single bead of sweat ran down the side of Sonic's tan cheek as his mouth went agape.

The ultimate life form's gaze was nonchalant, his lips were completely straight...

And his ebony eyes bore directly into Sonic's shocked jade ones.

The cerulean hero unconsciously gulped as a few seconds of heavy, pregnant silence passed in between the two.

Shadow's eyes were both completely black. That fact kept on jumping around in the blue one's mind like a rubber ball in a blank, white room. What happened to him? Was it some side effect from the usage of the Dark Emerald?

Sonic's body tensed when he heard Shadow's calm, deep voice ring through the air, slicing through the silence at once.

"Hey...moron."

The blue wonder remained completely still at the comment, not even beginning to understand Shadow's nonchalantness in the current situation. Was he aware of what he was currently doing? Turning back into a rogue hedgehog and stabbing his friends in the back, did that even swim through his shrouded mind at the moment?

The cloak draped loosely over the ultimate life form fluttered from a small gust of wind, whistling in the air, as he placed a hand on his hip, the other loosely hanging at his side, his lips twisting into a dark smirk.

"Hm hm hm, what's with you? Shocked to see me?" the dark hedgehog questioned with a dark chuckle ringing before his verbal statement.

The emotions kept on pouring into Sonic by the second. His mind and his heart were like a bucket, Shadow's words and actions being the water. And when a bucket was filled beyond its capacity, it spilled.

"**What the hell are you thinking**?" The hero shouted at the top of his voice, using the full capacity of his lungs.

Sonic had snapped completely. Shadow's look suddenly changed to one of inquisition as the hand on his hip dropped to his side loosely, the smirk disappearing as well.

"...I'll make it simple so even a moron like you can understand," Shadow replied in a voice void of any and all emotion, eerily reminding Sonic of Eclipse, "I'm going to Mephiles..."

"...Leave."

The moment after the words had left the ultimate life form's lips, an eerie silence filled the air. Anger and shock washed away as Sonic's expression melted to one of sadness and hurt.

One by one, memories of the dark hedgehog began pouring into his mind, as if someone had opened a gate of memories sealed within his mind.

He was reliving the most important, but seemingly random moments with his dark companion. For just as one was about to die and his life flashed before his eyes, when one was about to lose a close friend, all their times together flashed before him.

_Flashback_

_Two super powered hedgehogs, their fur golden with a divine light, shot through the vast, empty darkness of space, a violet, spinning orb in each hand. One was Sonic the Hedgehog, famed hero of planet Earth. The other was his dark counterpart and the ultimate life form, Shadow the Hedgehog._

_Flames danced around the two from the surrounding explosions and melting metal as the two shot at the giant space colony on a collision course with Earth, the Biolizard leading the kamikaze attack._

"_Now Shadow!" Sonic shouted at the top of his voice, reeling his hand containing the orb back for the finally blow against the prototype of the ultimate life form._

_A small nod came from the dark hedgehog as he reeled his hand back as well. Then, in perfect unison, both orbs were thrust forward, accompanied by two simultaneous shouts that seemed fused together as one, single voice._

"_Chaos Control!"_

_End Flashback_

Was he really willing to throw it all away for power? For revenge? Everything they had gone through together as a team meant nothing to the ultimate life form in the end?

_Flashback_

_Shadow turned back around, looking Sonic in the eye with a hidden curiosity covered with indifference, "Very well."_

_The super-sonic speedster smiled and got into a running position, bending his knees, "Alright, now we still need to get Rouge and Amy, we can get Knuckles later."_

_The black hedgehog nodded slightly, stepping next to the blue wonder._

_Sonic flashed him one of his famous trade-mark smiles, "Can you still keep up with me, all you've been doing lately is fighting and training for strength."_

_The ebony anti-hero smirked slightly, the old rivalry between the two sparking again, "Don't flatter yourself idiot."_

_Sonic's smile widened, oh how he loved some good competition! Especially with someone that could actually keep up with him!_

"_Race ya to Amy's house," Sonic challenged._

_Shadow's smirk grew wider as well, "Make sure you get there before Amy and I leave, moron"_

_End Flashback_

His lips began to twist into a snarl.

_Flashback_

"_Are you that dense?" Shadow spat sarcastically, his voice laced with venom._

"_Are you that much of a girl?" Sonic retorted, the same angry edge in his voice._

_Rouge and Amy sighed at the two male hedgehogs. Sparks were literally flying in between their eyes. Both seemed to have completely forgotten the Eggman problem. How typical of them. They were best friends and worst enemies at the same time._

"_Guys," Knuckles interrupted, making both hedgehogs instantly snap their heads and glares at him, "Shouldn't we go stop Eggman now?"_

_Sonic backed off and crossed his arm, "I'm not working with that freak."_

_Shadow mimicked Sonic, although unintentionally, and crossed his arms as well, "And I'm not_ _operating with that moron."_

"_Shut up, ultimate ass form!" Sonic yelled, pointing a finger in Shadow's face._

_Rouge and Amy could've sworn they saw the ultimate life form's eyes catch fire,"Why you little...!"_

_Too fast for everyone to catch, Shadow lept forward and wrapped his hands around Sonic's throat, knocking them both to the floor, Sonic on the bottom, attempting to choke the life out of the world famed hero._

"_-elp Me!" Sonic wheezed through the strangling session, his eyes pleadingly directed at his friends._

_Everyone else came to the hero's aid and pried Shadow's fingers from Sonic's throat, pulling the dark hedgehog back and off of the azure hedgehog._

_Managing to hold Shadow back by themselves, Rouge and Knuckles nodded and Tails and Amy to grab a hold of Sonic._

"_Sleep with one eye open!" Shadow hissed from behind Knuckles._

"_Bring it on, sista!" Sonic yelled back, being held down by Tails and Amy._

_End Flashback_

His body acted on its own, his will or mind had no say in the next action he took. All he could feel was the air whizzing by him as he leaped from the boulder, his body crouched in the air, headed straight for Shadow.

The dark hedgehog made no attempt to move or dodge as Sonic's voice rang through the air again.

"**What do you think we are? Disposable**?"

A dark glare of Shadow's obsidian eyes was all the blue speedster got in return for his roared question.

Less than a second later, Sonic had landed on top of Shadow, sending both hedgehogs to the ground, Sonic's knees at either sides of Shadow's ribs as the dark hedgehog laid on his back. The robe of the ultimate life form fluttered and the only thing that Sonic saw for the moment was red.

Shadow's nonchalant eyes and his partially parted mouth brought him over the top.

With one fluid motion, the blue hedgehog reeled his gloved hand back, tightened it into a fist and slammed it against Shadow's jaw.

Time and sound itself seemed to stand still for the blink of an eyes before it sped up again.

Shadow's head was to the side, his red and black quills sprawled out around his head. Sonic exhaled, drawing his fist back until his actions had dawned on him. It had started and he had been the catalyst. Sonic knew now it was inevitable. Shadow's head jerked back suddenly to look at Sonic, his midnight-black eyes staring up at him with murderous intent.

* * *

Unfortunately, the wait for the next chapter will be a little longer due to certain issues that have come up. Chapter 25 entitled: _For My Life's Purpose _will be posted on May 1, 2008. Sorry guys.


	25. For My Life's Purpose

**Chapter 25- For My Life's Purpose**

Sonic's first instinct was to jump away from Shadow and out of harm's way, but he fought his natural fight or flight reaction his body had been screaming for him to perform and stayed put, staring back at the glaring Shadow.

Slowly, the black hedgehog's brows returned to their normal positions and once again, his look was nonchalant. Maybe his glare had been a sudden outburst of the real Shadow that Sonic knew was buried somewhere in there, underneath all of the hate and revenge.

"Have I gotten any stronger by staying with you? Was I able to kill my brother when he came to Angel Island?" the ultimate life form asked so suddenly and in such impassiveness, that it caught Sonic off guard.

"No. Instead I was humiliated. Attachments have held me back from my destiny for too long..." he continued slowly, his hand shooting out and grabbing Sonic by the fur just below his neck, drawing him closer to his face.

"...And now I'm going to cut them all."

Sonic's expression of mild shock hiding his screaming outrage suddenly changed to one of pain as the hand around his delicate fur squeezed tighter. Slowly, Shadow lifted one leg up and positioned his foot at an angle, raising the hand he had Sonic firmly grasped in up.

With his other hand supporting his body, the cloaked ultimate life form stood to his full height, bringing the cerulean hedgehog in his hand with him, raising him above eye level and off the ground.

A faint pained gasp escaped Sonic's lips as he gripped Shadow's hand that was curled around his fur instinctively with his own, weakly attempting to loosen the vice-like grip.

Then, as fast as Shadow had lifted him into the air, he released him. A wave of fresh oxygen passed through Sonic's lungs as he took a sharp breath, only to have it knocked out of him again by Shadow, who dug his foot into the cerulean hero's tan stomach with a ferociously powerful kick.

Along with the air being knocked out of him, three or four clots of crimson liquid also spilled from his mouth. Blood had been spilled, and the inevitable fight was going to commence.

With a burst of gale force-like winds, the blue hero's body was sent spiraling downwards and into the crystal-clear lake below, crashing into the water with a loud splash and a wave of water.

Shadow slowly drew back his leg and examined it for a moment, as if unable to believe his own power. Quietly, he began to chuckle to himself at his newfound powers.

'_If I gained so much power from this emerald, what would happen if Mephiles trained me to control it more?_'

The possibilities seemed endless to the dark hedgehog and his mind began to race with ideas and images of his brother's lifeless carcass. His train of thought abruptly came to a halt when he heard another splash over the roar of the nearby waterfall.

'_But first I have to deal with him.'_

Sonic was on his hands and knees on the lightly colored rocks outlining the great lake below, his blue fur matted to his body from the weight of the water, his shoes and gloves drenched, and his breath ragged.

_'If he stops me here, I'll never be able to defeat him,'_ he told himself in his mind again, his black eyes beginning to wander off Sonic's body and onto the blue sky above.

_Flashback_

"_Brother, where are you brother?" Shadow called. _

_The small black and red hedgehog ran swiftly through the metallic halls of space colony Ark, occasionally passing by a few bewildered scientists. _

_His voice was a higher pitch than usual, making it obvious the small hedgehog had not fully matured yet. In fact, going by the date of his creation, Shadow was only seven years old._

_Turning into a corner, the small hedgehog came to an abrupt stop when he ran full-force into something. Thrown back, Shadow landed on his rump._

"_Ow," the seven year-old Shadow mumbled, rubbing his lower back._

_Looking up at who or what he ran into, his face brightened._

"_Brother, I found you!" Shadow yelled with a smile, hopping back onto his feet. _

_Before him stood a white hedgehog with silver highlights in his quills, on his arms, and on his legs. He was wearing white and silver hover shoes that mimicked the ones Shadow would soon own down to the last detail. His piercing silver eyes looked down upon Shadow with quiet nonchalance._

_He looked almost exactly like Shadow save for the fur color, eyes, and the two bottom quills on his head that pointed down instead of up, like Shadow's. He, unlike Shadow, seemed fully developed, both physically and mentally. The tall hedgehog was fifteen years old._

_The taller hedgehog before Shadow smiled slightly, "How are you, Shadow?"_

"_I was looking all over for you," the ultimate life form said with a smile, grabbing his older brother's hand, "Gerald just told me that I could train in the Gravity Chamber, but that I have to have a partner, can you help me train?"_

_Shadow gave the white and silver hedgehog before him a sweet smile along with big red, puppy-dog eyes. The other hedgehog's icy silver eyes softened under the gaze of his brother's innocent large ruby orbs._

_The older hedgehog nodded, "Sure."_

_Shadow yelped in victory and grabbed his brother's hand, dragging him into the direction of the Gravity Chamber._

"_All right Shadow," the white and silver hedgehog exclaimed with a small smirk, holding a hand full of tennis balls, "Try to dodge all of these."_

_The young Shadow nodded enthusiastically as his brother lightly tossed a ball at him, which suddenly accelerated to incredible speeds. The young hedgehog just barely managed to duck out of the way as the ball whizzed over his head, hitting the white wall behind him with a loud clank._

_Before the young ultimate life from had time to recover, another ball came whizzing at him. Shadow jumped this time to avoid it before he was hit square in the face with another._

_Dropping to the ground, the red and black hedgehog held his right cheek, which was turning a light pink color._

"_Ow brother, you threw that one too hard!" Shadow accused, standing back up to his feet._

_The white hedgehog shrugged with a small smirk, dropping the rest of the tennis balls onto the ground,"You're the one who wanted to train with me."_

_Eclipse knew there was no way Shadow could have dodged that ball, but his smaller brother was always so enthusiastic about training with him. He had to make it a challenge._

_Shadow smiled, "Yeah, I guess you're right."_

_The door to the large white metallic room suddenly slid open as an old, bearded man in a lab coat stepped in. Eclipse's small smirk immediately reversed into a scowl at the sight of his "father"._

"_Gerald," the white hedgehog mumbled, squeezing his hands into fists._

_The scientist all but ignored Shadow and had his full attention on the hedgehog's larger counter-part as he spoke, "We have to talk, now."_

_The eyes of the tall hedgehog narrowed, "What about?"_

_Gerald stepped aside to reveal two armed guards that cocked their guns obediently, "It's best if we discuss it in private."_

_Shadow looked on confused as his brother walked towards Gerald and out the door after giving his younger brother a small but reassuring smile._

_End Flashback_

Obsidian eyes gleamed at the sudden resurfacing cascade of memories. He stayed in his position for a moment, letting the wind gently play with his fur before his gaze traveled back down and onto Sonic, who was standing at his full height again, staring him straight into the eyes.

"Let us finish the fight that never concluded," Shadow called to his counterpart, the roar of the waterfall providing a suitable background noise for his voice.

"Shadow," Sonic growled back between grit teeth at the black and red hedgehog high above him on one of the boulders that the cascading river flowed between.

With a small tug on the string of his clothing, the brown cloak that had been securely wrapped around Shadow's body fell to the rocky ground with a soft thud, creating a sloppy semicircle around the ultimate life form's feet.

Then, with a simple bend of his knees, the ultimate life form leaped from the giant rock and into the air, his quills waving about his head wildly as he began to descend upon the blue speed hero.

"I guess it can't be helped then," Sonic told himself quietly as Shadow continued to approach with narrowed eyes.

A small smirk graced Shadow's lips as he landed in front of Sonic with a soft thud, his knees bent to support his huge jump before straightening out his body.

"This time, Sonic," Shadow sneered in amused nonchalance as he balled his hands at his sides into rock-hard fists, "There's no Amy or Rouge to interfere."

_Flashback_

"_Man, I'm tired!"_

_Shadow wearily slumped down against the side of the metallic wall that surrounded the Gravity Chamber. He had been training for almost three days now, catching only a little amount of sleep._

"_I wonder what brother is doing?" Shadow asked to no one in particular. He had not seen his older brother since he left with Gerald that day in this very same training facility._

_The young hedgehog shrugged, standing back up._

"_I think I should go and see Maria, she's probably worried about me," the young ultimate life form mumbled before running out of the door._

_Much to the young Shadow's surprise, the station was completely silent and dark._

_'Strange,' Shadow thought, 'It's not that late, where is everybody?'_

_The only sound in the eerie environment was the soft clanking of Shadow's shoes against the metallic floor. Usually at this time, this place bustled with life. Scientists were everywhere. The black hedgehog ignored the thought and began heading towards his and Maria's quarters._

_It was the same everywhere Shadow went. Complete silence and darkness. Absolutely no one was in sight. _

_Speeding up his pace a little, Shadow went into a full-fledged, panic-fueled sprint as he tried to make it to his room as fast as possible. _

_The darkness surrounding him with the ghostly silence was scaring the young hedgehog. His big red eyes scanned his surroundings frantically, the young hedgehog's imagination and mind plagued with monsters jumping out of the darkness at him._

_Finally stopping before the familiar door that was his own, Shadow sighed in relief and opened it with the press of a button next to it, entering the room, which was also completely dark._

"_Maria?" Shadow asked in a small frightened voice, the door behind him closing with a hiss, "Where are you?"_

_The room was completely barren, no soul in sight._

"_Maybe they went to the observation room," Shadow mumbled, thinking of the large room with a giant window that was used to look down upon the Earth. Maria loved it there, and went there often so it was the obsidian hedgehog's best bet._

_Opening the door and running back out of the room, the ultimate life form sprinted in the direction of the observatory at top speed._

_Shadow gulped as he stood before the door that lead to the observatory. Something just didn't seem right, where was everyone? Why was it so dark, why was there not one single sound on the entire station?_

_The ultimate life form shook his head, pulling a small switch that would open the door._

_The large door slid open with a loud hiss as the young hedgehog entered the giant room. The glow from the Earth below was the only thing illuminating the room. _

_Shadow stepped into the room, the door sliding closed behind him. His eyes scanned the room, finally resting on the central platform. And what he saw almost made him vomit, cry, and scream at the same time._

_There, lying in a puddle of her own blood illuminated by the eerie glow of the moon, was the young Maria Robotnik, her grandfather Gerald protectively sprawled over her lifeless body._

_Both were completely motionless. It was not a hard task to figure out that the two were no longer alive. Tears started involuntarily flowing from Shadow's eyes. How? Why?_

_A sudden movement made Shadow perk up, standing in a defensive position, still scared to death._

_His ruby-red eyes picked out a silhouette that stood against the eerie glowing window of the room, his outline making it obvious that it was a hedgehog, one taller and probably older than Shadow. His stance was statue-like and his fists were clenched at his sides. The head of the shadow was turned to the side._

"_Who are you?" Shadow managed to ask timidly through chocked sobs._

_The young black hedgehog pushed back another sob, the corner of his eye still drowning in the image of Maria and Gerald laying before him, slaughtered._

_The phantom turned towards the young hedgehog after a small pause, eerie silver eyes glowing through the darkness and focused onto Shadow._

_Young Shadow's eyes widened. No, it couldn't be, it was impossible._

_The stranger lifted his foot, stepping closer to the two corpses and Shadow. Waves of shadows and moonlight rolled over his expressionless face, revealing it completely under the glow of the Earth below._

"_Brother?" Shadow asked in shock, not wanting to believe in his idol's presence "What are you - why are you--"_

"_Foolish brother," the older hedgehog interrupted, his voice cold and nonchalant._

_Shadow's teary red eyes widened but he managed to choke back a sob and speak,"What happened brother? Maria and Gerald, they're both dead."_

_The white hedgehog's face remained expressionless as he raised his right hand. It was completely covered in a deep, red liquid, so much that drops of it were rolling off his glove._

_It was blood._

_More tears streamed down Shadow's face, "No...no, you didn't. Why?"_

_There was a heavy silence after the young hedgehog's question. The taller hedgehog did not move at all, his unblinking eyes still focused intently on his younger sibling._

"_To rid myself of these attachments and rules. I had been bowing to someone inferior than myself for long enough, it was time to end it. I have a higher purpose in life than this, I am meant to be more powerful, as are you."_

_Shadow squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as his brother continued._

"_They were not expecting it, so it was quick."_

"_Where is everyone else?" Shadow managed to ask through more tears and chokes, opening his eyes._

_The tall hedgehog directed his gaze towards the window, with Shadow following._

_And the sight before him made the young hedgehog step back out of fear before vomiting onto the cold steel floor. In the vacuum of space, dozens of human bodies littered the area around the colony._

_They were all floating in no precise order or fashion. Their faces were all blue, due to the sheer coldness of the place they were in and the lack of oxygen. There was no doubt that they were dead._

_Shadow fell to his knees when he heard his brother's voice again, "They on the other hand, saw my attacks coming, so to save precious energy, I simply shot them into space."_

_Shadow's ruby eyes suddenly flared with fury and hate as he shot up and charged for his brother. How could he do this? Why would he do this? Shadow didn't care, the young hedgehog only saw red._

"_**You Bastard**!" Shadow cried as he lunged at the more powerful hedgehog._

_Eclipse's nonchalant, almost lazy gaze never wavered. His smaller brother posed no real threat, and Shadow knew that better himself. Yet, he was still charging at him. _

_Foolish._

_The taller hedgehog simply jabbed Shadow in the stomach with lightning-fast precision to cause his assault to cease. Shadow collapsed onto the floor in a heap, his breath ragged and torn._

"_You are so weak, it disgusts me," Shadow heard his brother say from above him._

_Out of pure terror, the young hedgehog managed to scoot backwards, his gaze traveling to Eclipse's, never breaking it._

"_There is one simple reason I will let you live," the homicidal hedgehog explained, his eyes traveling from Shadow and towards the two corpses of Gerald and Maria, "You have the power to surpass me, to kill me."_

_Shadow continued to retreat when his brother appeared before him in a silent wisp of air and picked him up by the neck, raising him to eye level._

"_When you have awakened the powers that reside within you, seek me out. Until then, you aren't worth my time."_

_Shadow shook his head, unwilling to believe what his brother was saying. This had to be a dream, it had to be!_

"_So, foolish brother, hate me, envision yourself standing over my fallen body, and once you have awakened, come before me."_

_End Flashback_

"Rouge," Sonic voiced slowly at the dark hedgehog's words before his face contorted and twisted into a malicious scowl.

"How could you even mention her after what you did?" the blue hedgehog yelled, pointing his index finger at the black hedgehog accusingly as if meaning to make his bellowed words have a greater effect.

"She was a hindrance," the ultimate life form replied without missing a beat, his eyes remaining unblinking.

"I'm bringing you back, Shadow," Sonic hissed venomously, his usually hyper and happy facade gone and shattered the instance he had met this new Shadow, "Even if I have to kick your sorry ass and drag you back!"

Shadow's eyes narrowed slightly at the opposite hedgehog's threat, raising his left hand slightly and motioning to Sonic with his open palm, "Come."

* * *

The fight finally starts. Who'll grab the edge over his opponent? Find out next time in the chapter entitled: _Former Friends, New Enemies_!


	26. Former Friends, New Enemies

**Chapter 26- Former Friends, New Enemies**

The legendary blue hero gladly complied to the dark hedgehog's wishes and charged at full speed, which, by Sonic's standards, was close to the speed of sound. He had completely boiled over with anger at the ultimate life form's taunting and nonchalant words and was determined to shove a few fists down his throat as a consequence.

A small smirk played onto Shadow's lips as he simply, but with tremendous speed, cocked his head to the side to avoid Sonic's first attack, a basic punch aimed for his jaw. With a quick jerk of his arm, Shadow's fist latched itself onto Sonic's tan stomach, causing the blue hedgehog's eyes to widen out of pain.

Quick to retort and recover from the attack, Sonic controlled his natural wheezing from such a forceful punch to the gut and sent both of his legs into the air, slapping his left hand onto the ground and pivoting it so it sent both of his legs jetting towards Shadow's head.

Much to the hero's shock, the ebony warrior caught both legs with a simple swipe of his hand, tightening his grip and shifting his center of gravity, beginning to spin Sonic around with him.

With proper momentum and speed, Shadow released his powerful hold on his counterpart and sent Sonic crashing into the rough terrain, scratching and bruising his backside and causing multiple small cuts to peak out from beneath his water-colored fur.

The blue hedgehog growled out of mild irritation and sprang to his feet. He didn't even have time to draw in his next breath before Shadow was in front of him again, sending his fist crashing into his jaw. Bones crunched and cracked under the pressure as the hero tumbled to the ground for the second time in less than five seconds, but this time avoiding his painful landing by somersaulting to his feet.

Greedily sucking in air through his mouth and nose, Sonic regained his composure before raising his hand, just as if he was about to cut through something like his arm was a giant knife.

"Sonic Wind!" the speed demon roared, summoning a strong gust of wind enhanced by Chaos energy with a swipe of his arm, sending it directly at Shadow.

The obsidian and ruby colored hedgehog's gaze remained unimpressed as he jumped out of the way of the rather lethal attack, with it cutting down a small, lone tree in the rough terrain instead.

"You disappoint me, moron," Shadow taunted as he landed gracefully on his feet again, his arms slouched forward.

"Shut up!" the cerulean hero spat back in retorsion, wiping a small trail of blood from his chin.

A low, dark chuckle echoed from Shadow's lungs as he raised one hand in front of his body and cradled his fingers inward, as if wanting to hold an invisible dodge ball, "Time to end this."

With no trouble at all, a swirling violet orb of energy was summoned into Shadow's cradling hand, its eerie glow illuminating his glove and lower arm.

Before Sonic even had time to blink, Shadow charged at him full speed, air whizzing by his body as the attack in his hand dangled at his side.

The blue hedgehog raised both of his hands across his chest to create a large "X", attempting to block Shadow's incoming attack simply. A blink of surprise and a bead of sweat all escaped the hero as Shadow disappeared from sight in a sudden flurry of black and red lines.

His detection of energy was the only thing that hinted Sonic off as he quickly jumped into the air just in time to see a swirling violet energy orb shoot below him, grazing the rocky ground and hitting a large boulder up ahead, completely shattering it as if it was made out of Styrofoam.

Jade eyes widened out of realization as his feet hit the ground again. Turning his body with a quick jerk, he saw Shadow standing not ten feet from him, a malicious and dark smirk on his face.

'_He's really trying to kill me,_' the hero thought in utter shock.

After a brief moment of heavy silence, Sonic voiced his thoughts, "You're really serious, aren't you?"

Shadow hesitated, his smirk disappearing, "Of course I am, you wouldn't stand down."

"How could I?" Sonic demanded furiously, swiping his hand through the heavy, tension-filled air, "You're trying to betray me and everyone else! Don't you know G.U.N. will list you as a rogue agent?"

Shadow's black eyes studied Sonic's rage-infected form, his gaze hardening, "How could I betray something I was never a part of?"

Those words, spoken in such a cold and emotionless tone, hit the blue hedgehog like a ton of bricks. He wasn't a part of them, a part of their circle of friends? How could Shadow actually say these things to his face?

"Bullshit," the cerulean hero spat at his ebony counterpart, taking a step forward, "You saved the world with me all the time, how could you not be a part of our friendship?"

"It was for my own convenience," Shadow replied without missing the beat of the heated conversation, "I merely helped you on a whim."

Jade eyes hardened once again, Sonic's features narrowing in anger, "A whim? Then consider me kicking your ass and dragging you back a whim of mine!"

A small, dark smirk graced Shadow's emotionless face as he beckoned his clone-like opponent with his hand, "Very well."

In an instant, Sonic darted forward, his feet kicking up dust and sand from the surface of the boulders, making a beeline straight for his treacherous friend. With a battle cry mixed with a hint of despair and sadness, Sonic dove forward, his fist extended and came into contact with Shadow's face.

A loud smack echoed through the air, giving an audio clip of proof that the punch had hit its mark.

A small wave of blood jutted out of Shadow's mouth and landed on the ground with a splat, his head turned to the right from the force of the hit. Other than that, he remained completely still.

"That's all?" the dark hedgehog asked suddenly in a monotone voice.

With his head still cocked to the side, his eyes fell upon Sonic, although the blue hedgehog could only see one of the unworldly ebony eyes of the hedgehog boring straight into his.

"You can't hope to defeat me like this. We're in a different league now," Shadow deadpanned, straightening out his head, not even bothering to wipe the blood from his chin and mouth.

Suddenly, the wind was knocked straight from Sonic's chest, his green eyes widening in pain, his body convulsing as he was sent flying back in a burst of invisible air, crashing into a nearby boulder. His body hit the giant rock full force and the rest of the breath he had retained shot out of his body as his back arched instinctively from the pain of the impact.

Managing to suck in a mouth-full of air, although his chest tightened painfully when he did so, the hero slumped to the rocky ground, his body still against the rock, the unforgiving piece of nature scratching his back up and turning it bloody.

One of his eyes was closed all the way and the other was barely open, his blurry vision allowing him to see two red and white shoes drawing closer to him. He was in no position to defend himself now. There was even a possibility that he might have a concussion.

Like the ghastly sounds that came only from a haunted house, Sonic's ears picked up each piece of audio that Shadow's shoes created every time they hit the rocky ground.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Gasping, the hero was suddenly grabbed by the neck by a strong and powerful hand, once again lifting up his body and slamming it against the rock he had been slumped up against with tremendous and dominant force.

"Pathetic," Sonic heard Shadow murmur quietly as he managed to open one eye fully to look into Shadow's dark orbs of sight.

"Sha-dow," the speed demon managed to choke out from beneath the layers of pain hitting his body again and again.

Blue and tan ears twitched when they suddenly picked up a whizzing sound.

Something that Sonic knew all too well.

It wasn't all too hard to figure out since Sonic's blurry vision was becoming clouded with a dark yellow light and he picked up a sudden burst of energy. Shadow was gathering his signature-attack in his free hand: the Chaos Spear.

With a grunt, Sonic's other eye opened as both of his orbs of vision settled on Shadow's face, which wore a dark smirk illuminated from below by an eerie, yellow, shifting light. Then, before Sonic could even register what happened, Shadow's hand carrying the Chaos Spear shot forward, heading straight for Sonic's chest.

At that very second, something flashed within the blue hero and time seemed to stand still. Shadow's Chaos Spear stopped, Sonic's pain ceased, and the speed demon became lost within his own mind.

* * *

_His mind was a dark pool of water, everything else was dashed in crimson. It had no sky, no earth, no life, only the ebony pool of rippling water, and a lone blue hedgehog walking on it as if it were the ground._

_Every time his soap shoes hit the water, it rippled and momentarily showed the reflection of what was underneath._

_And each time, it showed himself, exactly opposite and parallel as if the liquid was some sort of mirror._

_Just as fast as the ripples had appeared, they vanished, only to be brought back again by Sonic's continuously moving feet._

_Suddenly, something happened, something that had not happened once within the hedgehog's mind._

_The next time he took a step and sent ripples through the water to allow a brief gaze into his own personal reflection, he did not see a blue hedgehog._

_He saw one that was black and red._

* * *

That instant, something within Sonic clicked and with a newfound source of determination and strength, his hand shot up and grasp Shadow's attack arm firmly inches before the Chaos Spear made contact with his chest.

The ebony hedgehog's eyes, for the first time since the start of the fight, widened in shock at the blue hero's sudden burst of life and energy.

He was for sure that the moron was done for!

"Shadow," Sonic growled in a low, animal-like voice that seemed totally alien on the blue hero.

The grip on Shadow's arm suddenly tightened, causing the obsidian hedgehog to gasp out in pain, the Chaos Spear in his trapped hand disappearing with a few weakening crackles.

With a fierce tug, Shadow freed himself from Sonic's grip, letting the blue hero hit the ground again but unlike Shadow had expected, he stood upright, his green eyes aflame with anger and staring directly into his own.

Then, before he knew what hit him, the ultimate life form was sent flying backwards into the air for a few seconds before tumbling onto the hard and rough ground. Using his hand as a stopper, Shadow flipped his body back and landed on his feet, his knees bent and his back arched, his eyes never leaving Sonic.

Sonic's shaking, gloved fist was still extended from the hit he had just driven into the dark anti-hero's chest.

Slowly, it lowered and the legendary hero charged at his counterpart at full speed, destroying and engraving a path of destruction into the ground. Barely managing to cough out a gasp of shock, Shadow was hit again, just as hard and flung high into the air as a result of the successfully delivered uppercut Sonic had just hit him with.

_'Where is he getting this power from?'_ Shadow thought wildly in his mind, remembering that his foe was half-dead not two minutes ago.

With a whoosh of the surrounding air and a splash of water, the ultimate life form crashed into the lake with a thunderous splash. Waves of water shot up as the dark hedgehog was sent spiraling deep below its surface into a blue abyss.

"**SHAAAAAADOOOOOOOOOOW**!" Sonic roared over everything and anything else that made a sound, his animalistic cry accompanied by him lashing his arms and head backwards as if he was crying towards the heavens themselves.

As if on cue, the ebony and crimson hedgehog burst from the surface of the lake, landing high above the fuming Sonic on the large boulder elevated over the waterfall where he had originally started out on.

Two obsidian eyes, glistening with evil intentions and the lust for revenge.

Two emerald eyes, glistening with the pain of betrayal and twisting, burning anger.

The sudden stare-down seemed to last an eternity, but it came to an end all too abruptly when Shadow's deep voice rang over the roar of the waterfall, traveling to Sonic's sensitive ears.

"I admit it, you surprised me, moron."

After a long, pregnant silence and no retort from Sonic, Shadow smirked, closed his eyes, and continued, "Perhaps you are worth my time after all."

"Shadow," Sonic growled back in a voice so low and venomous, it would have scared off even the fiercest of warriors.

But all Shadow did was open his eyes, his dark smile widening slightly, "You seem determined to bring me back, don't you Sonic? Fine. If you defeat me here and now, I'll return with you."

There was another wave of silence and Sonic's voice and expression softened, "Please, Shadow, don't do this. Come with me now, while you still have a choice."

The wind blew and whistled, roughly pulling at Shadow's black and red quills. There seemed to be a hint of regret and sadness laced into his next set of words, if ever so slightly, but still enough for Sonic to pick up.

"It's too late for me, Sonic. I won't be persuaded by anything less than a defeat by your hands."

* * *

Will Sonic be able to take Shadow down and bring him back? Don't miss the next chapter: _Sonic's Rage_!


	27. Sonic's Rage

**Chapter 27- Sonic's Rage**

Hearing the black and red hedgehog above him talk with a hint of regret in his voice actually startled Sonic for a moment, and made him come out of his enraged, psychopathic mode he was in not two seconds ago.

Was he actually regretting his actions? Did he really not want to leave them behind, but had to?

All the thoughts and theories in his mind shattered the instant Shadow jumped off the rock and charged through the air at him head-first.

'_I guess not,_' Sonic thought bitterly, getting into a defensive stance and awaiting the oncoming ultimate life form.

Drawing his fist back and forcing as much pressure as he could into it, Sonic awaited the black hedgehog, who had also raised his own fist while still cutting through the air like a hawk. The body of the hedgehog drew closer and closer until suddenly, in one swift second merely worth a blink, he disappeared from Sonic's line of sight in a photon of red light.

Sudden shock grasped the hero as his head swayed to the side quickly and frantically, trying desperately to locate his enemy. Shadow's location became painfully clear when the cerulean speed demon felt a sharp, mind-bending pain in his stomach.

Choking back a wave of forcefully released blood, Sonic's upper body arched forward, digging himself even further into Shadow's fist. His vision began sizzling with blurriness and small black dots as his body wavered from the incredible force of the punch.

In a rush of air, the hero felt his feet leave the familiar feeling of being placed onto the ground as he was swung into the air by a sudden sweeping kick from Shadow.

With speed that mirrored lightning itself, Shadow reeled back wordlessly and drove his elbow deep into Sonic's stomach, actually making his whole body bend and spasm from the sudden intruding pain.

This time, the sapphire-colored hedgehog could not stop the blood that shot from his mouth like a gushing, crimson geyser as he hit the ground with a loud crash, sending more waves of pain through his already damaged body.

Shadow drew his arm back slowly and stared down upon the blue hedgehog that he had just rammed into the ground with distasteful nonchalance.

_'This is what my brother was so interested in? He's weaker than I am.'_

Sonic's mind and body began to stir and shake with pain and frustrated anger as he painfully and suddenly pushed his upper body up using his elbows, staring straight up into Shadow's eyes.

"You are stubborn, aren't you, idiot?" the ultimate life form asked, his voice laced with a small hint of amusement.

At Shadow's taunting words, something within Sonic snapped, springing his miraculous powers to life once again.

With a sudden, unexplainable and almost miraculous burst of newfound power, the blue hero jumped to his feet before delivering a swift round-house kick to Shadow's shock-ridden face.

'_Where does he always come up with these energy boosts_?' the dark hedgehog contemplated in his mind as he landed on his feet, his knees slightly bent as he wiped some blood from the corner of his lip with the back of his gloved hand.

"Shadow," Sonic growled in the same, low voice he had used the last time Shadow had felt such a sudden energy burst.

The black and red hedgehog could not hide his utter surprise when he saw that Sonic's eyes were the same color his own used to be: red.

He had seen those eyes on the normally peaceful hedgehog before, many of times as a matter of fact, but only when it involved the Chaos Emeralds and his Super powered form.

Could it be that-

No, there was absolutely no way. To summon upon the powers of the Super form, incredibly large amounts of energy were necessary. In fact, it took the power of all seven mystical gems combined to produce such an amount of raw power.

So why was he seeing Sonic's eyes turning crimson right before his very own orbs of sight?

More waves of shock coursed through his being at the very moment that the ultimate life form witnessed a brilliant, golden energy settling around Sonic's fuming form.

Was he really capable of the Super form without the emeralds? Had he really gained that much power?

No further thought or theory flew through the black and red hedgehog's mind at that moment however, as the blue-furred, red-eyed hedgehog in front of charged with a loud, primal roar.

Completely caught off guard and still halfway within his own thoughts, Shadow was hit directly with the first attack, a powerful punch to his gut that sent him off the ground momentarily, only being held up by Sonic's glowing fist.

Obsidian eyes shrunk to the size of pinpoints as blood shot out of the ultimate life form's mouth, splattering onto the rocky ground.

A loud burst of air cut through the setting as Sonic reeled back and drove his fist into Shadow's jaw, spilling even more of the dark hedgehog's blood and sending him crashing into a large boulder with a cry of pain.

Not willing or even thinking to give the backstabbing hedgehog a breath of refreshing air, Sonic took off again, the golden energy around him swirling madly, as if just enraged as its user.

Looking up with only one half-lidded eye, Shadow was hit again, this time with a powerful kick that made its mark right onto his chest.

Breath and blood left the crimson-tainted hedgehog's lungs when Sonic pulled back his leg, letting the black hedgehog slump onto the rocky terrain. Shadow managed to look up through the seemingly endless waves of pain and saw Sonic's crimson, flaring eyes that seemed to mirror the largest inferno of hell itself.

No sooner had his eyes adjusted to the sight, a loud swirling whoosh cut through the air, alarming Shadow and brining him back to his senses. Looking down into Sonic's right hand, what was left of the air in his lungs was choked back quickly.

Sonic was gathering a blue, swirling ball of energy. The hero was done talking, he was gathering his most powerful attack, his mind set on shoving it down Shadow's throat.

Alarmed at the sudden sight, Shadow only managed to quickly blink before Sonic darted forward with his Shining Lance drawn in front of his body.

With a mighty roar only comparable to the fiercest of lions, Sonic threw his entire body into the attack as the azure ball of deadly intent darted forward, creating what was comparable to a large blue arrow, with the Shining Lance being its tip.

'_Shit!_' Shadow cursed in his mind as he hastily summoned the powers within his body and warped away in a flash of crimson light.

Already too late to stop, Sonic's swirling attack hit the giant boulder Shadow had been slumped against not a second before, summoning a giant shaft of blue light that engulfed everything within a radius of twenty feet.

Shadow let out a breath of relief as he reappeared behind Sonic, or at least where he thought the cerulean hedgehog was. The swirling smoke that shifted uncontrollably around his previous position made it impossible for the dark hedgehog to pick out any details.

Thankfully, a large gust of rather convenient wind blew the smoke away to reveal the scene to Shadow. If it wasn't for the current situation of things, the ultimate life form would have let out a gasp of shock.

The area had been completely annihilated, boulder and all. In fact, a hole twenty feet wide and at least ten feet deep was now in its place. At the very core of the miniature crater stood Sonic, the luminescent energy still swirling around his body.

The hand that had been intended for Shadow's head was stuck deep in the soft dirt at the bottom of the hole, consuming most of the blue hedgehog's arm. With a sharp turn of his head, mentally startling Shadow, Sonic's ruby eyes bore into his ones of ebony.

Literally ripping his powered-up arm up from underneath the dirt, Sonic leaped out of the hole, his hands extended like a wild animal.

Shadow let out a breath of sharp air as he barely ducked just in time for Sonic to miss him with a swung fist, making pressurized air whiz by Shadow's head like a miniature typhoon.

Taking the opening at hand, Shadow drove his own fist deep into Sonic's gut, causing the crimson-hued hedgehog to wince out of pain.

Not willing to let his opportunistic offense slip in between his fingers, Shadow threw his entire body at Sonic, spearing the sea-mimicking hedgehog into the ground with a loud crash, sending up more tiny pebbles crushed under the two's weights.

The blue hero released a hiss of pain as Shadow sat up and punched him into the jaw swiftly, earning him a sickening crack. Blood left Sonic's wide-open mouth with a painful choke as Shadow jumped away from him in one fluid motion, standing up and pointing an open palm straight at the fallen hedgehog.

With a low growl, orally resounding his gathering power, a faint violet orb began to take shape in his dirty, gloved hand.

"I'm going to kill you, here and now!" Shadow spat with his voice full of venom, the attack in his hand coming to completion with a loud swoosh.

The yellow energy swirling around Sonic's body had weakened considerably from the recent flurry of punches, and his red eyes focused on Shadow as he propped his body up using his elbows.

"Chaos Nightmare!" Shadow shouted, releasing the purple ball of energy straight at Sonic, sending it flying through the air in a perfect linear form.

Purple light spread before the orb like orange dawn before the complete rise of the sun in the sky, highlighting Sonic's shock-written face in an eerie glow. The second before Sonic could even take in a breath of air, the orb hit something, causing smoke and debris to be shot into the air, swirling around with the present currents of wind.

The black hedgehog slowly lowered the hand he had just used at the attempt to end Sonic's life, his black eyes staring intently at the smokescreen blocking his vision. The smoke cleared after a few seconds, and Shadow half-expected Sonic to be gone from his sight, having narrowly dodged his attack yet again.

A sudden shiver shot up his spine at the sight before him.

Sonic had not evaded the attack, or even seemed to have made any attempt to do so.

The strange golden energy had left his body, leaving it completely blue once again. He was there, lying in a small crater that was still smoldering from the heat of the attack.

Sonic's usually azure blue fur was a tint of orange in some spots from all the blood that had left his body. His entire coat of fur was matted with sweat and his head was lying motionlessly to the side, his blue quills sprawled out over the dirty ground.

The ultimate life form took in a small gulp at the sight.

It somehow...disturbed him.

Even after trying all this time to harm his comrade, seeing him actually lying there in a pool of his own blood, motionless, caused him restlessness.

Shadow shook his head violently to wash away the doubts. He had chosen it to be this way and Sonic had chosen to come after him. The dark hedgehog was more than willing to take his doppelganger's life if it was necessary in order to gain the power to kill his brother.

When he had thought G.U.N. had killed his family, he wanted them to die.

And now, that he knew it was his own brother, Shadow wanted to see him dead. It was just as simple as that.

A dozen or so pebbles on the ground suddenly rattled, causing Shadow's right ear to twitch from the slight sound.

Narrowing his eyes, they went wide the next second.

The golden energy was starting to consume Sonic's body again, but this time it seemed brighter, more intense. The aura spread until the hero's entire body was inked in it, slow waves of the light waving off and disappearing into the air above.

Then, causing Shadow's eyes to widen even more than they were before, Sonic's royal blue fur was drenched in a beautiful golden.

He knew exactly what was going on, he had seen this countless times. Sonic the Hedgehog was transforming into his Super form, but without the Chaos Emeralds?

How was that even possible?

Slowly, the newly revived, super-powered hedgehog rose to a vertical position, using nothing but the air as his guide, his feet and arms not even used to support his body into the upright position.

With a startling blink, the golden hedgehog's eyes flashed open, revealing them to be an angry, bloody red.

Faster than even the ultimate life form could react, Sonic darted forward and sent his fist straight into the dark hedgehog's chest

Seeming to defy the laws of physics themselves, Shadow's chest collapsed into itself for a split seconds from the force of the hit before he was sent spiraling backwards at half the speed of sound.

With a cry of pain, Shadow burst into the lake that was positioned right behind him, the liquid consuming his body and dragging him below the surface with a loud gulp.

The super-powered Sonic lowered his shaking fist and threw his chest forward, his arms behind him, raising his head towards the heavens like a mighty, ferocious beast.

"**SHHAAAAAAAAADOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW**!"

* * *

Sonic turned the tide of the battle in his favor. Will he be able to follow through? Find out next time in _Reactivation of the Dark Emerald_!


	28. Reactivation of the Dark Emerald

**Chapter 28- Reactivation of the Dark Emerald**

With a resounding splash, a black and red hedgehog lept from beneath the surface of the water that had momentarily consumed him. Landing a few hundred yards away from the still screaming Sonic, he touched the rocky surface weakly with one knee on the ground, holding his chest in a tight grip.

Never, in his entire life, had he been hit so hard.

Cracking his fists a few times, Shadow slowly rose to his full height.

At that very moment, Sonic's ferocious yell for the ultimate life form's name ceased.

Blinking, Shadow's head snapped to the side just in time to jump out of the way of a golden streak of light that was aimed for his head.

The shaft of light hit his previous position, creating a large explosion that rocked the ground and air with violent shakes.

Flipping his body over in the air, the obsidian hedgehog landed on the ground again just in time to catch a glimpse of his enemy charging at him in a burst of light.

With a startled cry, Shadow took another hit from his super-powered foe, this time directly into the abdomen.

Blood and spit gushed from Shadow's mouth as his eyes widened in pain for a split second before he fell to the ground with a loud thump.

Breathing heavily, Shadow's vision began to blur over when he saw a dirty, but still clearly white glove come into his line of sight, grabbing him by what he guessed were his quills.

A grunt of pain escaped in between the barrier of Shadow's teeth as he was lifted from the ground, forcing him to come face-to-face with the enraged Sonic.

"You're crazy if you think I'll let you go to that freak!" the Super hedgehog snarled, his teeth clenching after his words were spoken.

Through all the pain, through all the objections from the back of his mind, Shadow wearily moved his sore jaw to speak.

"Shut up, moron."

The reaction he got from the hero was somewhat mixed.

He expected Sonic to punch his face in like he did the last time, but instead a facade of sadness washed over his face as his features lightened and his brows rose from their angled display of frustration.

"Shadow," the speedster mumbled, his eyes beginning to drift into the memories that he shared with the dark hedgehog once again.

_Flashback_

"_**Too bad, Shadow the Hedgehog, time to die**!"_

_Blood red eyes widened in pain as Algos' shield covered fist drove itself forcefully into Shadow's stomach, the force of the punch lifting the ultimate life form off the ground slightly._

_With a loud thud, the dark one collapsed at the feet of the sand monster, whose expression had turned even more sinister than before._

_Raising his right foot, Algos' eyes gleamed as he prepared to stomp Shadow's brain out._

"_Sonic Wind!"_

_The sand manipulating hedgehog was knocked off his feet from a large and sudden blue gust of wind. Flipping backwards, Algos landed safely on the ground. _

_To his shock, there stood Sonic the Hedgehog, completely rejuvenated._

_Shadow smiled weakly, half of his face buried in the sand, "You're...late...moron."_

_End Flashback_

The energy-drowned hero parted his lips to speak with the dark antihero again, but Shadow beat him to it.

"You have no idea what it's like...the painful solitude, caused by your own brother. You have no idea what it's like to lose everyone you care for in an instant!" His voice had become drowned in anger and his eyes flashed with unshed tears.

Sonic visibly winced, the grip on Shadow's quills lessening for a split second. "That's true, Shadow, because I've never had a family." His eyes narrowed. "But my friends are my family now, and you're part of it! I won't let you betray our family, Shadow!"

That tiny slip was all that Shadow needed and in a sudden twist, ignoring the yellow hedgehog's words, he ripped them from Sonic's grip and landed on his feet, sending his own fist crashing against Sonic's stomach in an instant.

Even Shadow the Hedgehog, the ultimate life form, was shocked at what happened then.

Blood actually squirted from Sonic's mouth as he dropped to his knees, the golden vortex of energy surrounding him following suite.

He had actually injured Sonic while he was in his Super form?

Slowly, a cocky and dark smirk tugged at the corner of Shadow's lips.

If he could injure Sonic now, with no energy enhancements, what could he do to him when he summoned upon the powers of the Dark Emerald?

Calling upon his own energy reserves that resided deep within the twisting complexity of his being, Shadow's body began to glow a deep fuchsia.

Startled, Sonic's eyes widened as he recovered from the recent punch and took a step back.

"**Chaos**..." Shadow growled in a low, deep and menacing voice, raising his arms to his sides and bending his knees slightly.

"...**BLAST**!"

Rippling waves of crimson energy shot from Shadow's body as if it was a ticking time bomb, engulfing the entire area and highlighting the rest of the lake a deep shade of red.

Rocks, dust and sand flew into the air as a loud explosion rocked the air, even drowning out the loud rush of the waterfall in the background.

As the dust began to settle within ground zero of the massive energy explosion, a dark silhouette became visible standing tall with his fists clenched at his sides. The dark shadow began to grow larger as the figure walked out of the cloud of debris and into the light, contrasting his character and fur greatly.

The obsidian and ruby hedgehog smirked slightly as he surveyed the damage he had caused, feeling an odd sensation of self-pride sweep over his mind at the sight of his potential to cause even more damage than this.

The pride was short-lived however, as in the very next second a second figure burst through the debris like a golden arrow, shooting straight for Shadow.

Menacing red eyes gleamed angrily as Sonic reeled his super-powered fist back and struck it across Shadow's face, sending the black hedgehog's entire body into the air at the angle and position of the punch.

A cough of pain erupted from Shadow's throat as his eyes widened for a second. Sonic snarled and took off again, creating a large crater from where the energy had burst when he took to the air, crashing into the airborne Shadow with his shoulder.

The ultimate life form cried out in pain again before Sonic grabbed him by the leg and wrenched his body backwards, sending Shadow flying back towards his extended fist.

More thick, crimson liquid brushed through the air as Sonic struck again and again, earning grunts and even cries of pain from the dark hedgehog taking the beating.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for Shadow, Sonic ceased his pummeling and grabbed the ultimate life form by the throat, reeling him back as if he weighed no more than a baseball and threw him into the side of the large mountain at the left side of the waterfall.

Shadow hit the rocky surface with another cry of pain, creating a small crater before he fell down and crashed into the churning water below along with a few rocks that he had knocked loose.

Not willing to stop his assault just yet, Sonic raised his entire arm up as if it was a knife and he was getting ready to slice through something at a forty-five degree angle.

With a great wave of air, Sonic summoned a gale of golden wind with the swipe of his arm, sending it flying into the water below.

"Super Sonic Wind!"

The chaos-particle educed air hit the water that contained Shadow less than a second after it had been summoned, sending up waves of blue and white blankets of water along with a roaring crashing sound.

Above, the shimmering hedgehog lowered his arm slowly, his fiery red eyes glaring at one certain spot in the water, as if he knew just what was lying beneath its surface.

Sonic didn't flinch the least when Shadow suddenly shot out of that very same spot, his fist tightened and drawn back, heading straight for him.

The Super hedgehog cocked his head to the side, barely avoiding the dark hedgehog's punch, his eyes glaring straight into Shadow's as he hooked his own fist up and drove it into the ultimate life form's stomach.

Shadow's eyes widened out of sheer pain before he fell limp into Sonic's fist.

The speed-demon hesitated for a second, pity scratching the surface of his raw and burning anger as his eyes softened a tone.

But just as fast as the hint of regret washed over his face, it was buried back under the overwhelming anger in the Super hedgehog's heart as he raised his free fist and punched Shadow in the jaw, sending the ultimate life form flying down in a spiraling vortex of air.

With a grunt, the black and red anti-hero hit the rocky ground just to the left of the giant waterfall, sending up rocks and clouds of brown smoke as he skidded on the ground for a few feet, creating a shallow line of carved out earth, before he came to a stop.

Weakly raising his arms to his sides, the ultimate life form pushed up his wary body and weakly turned his head into the direction where Sonic was.

The golden hedgehog was floating silently in the air, his quills wavering calmly with the flow of energy surrounding his entire body.

Then, in an instant, he was once again before Shadow, startling the black hedgehog ever so slightly. With clenched teeth and burning eyes, the speed demon lifted his counterpart off the rocky surface by his quills.

Shadow hissed in pain as one of his eyes snapped shut out of instinctive reaction, leaving his natural red eye to gaze into Sonic's embers of vision.

"Do you really think Mephiles will help you for nothing in return?" Sonic suddenly spat, his angry glare never wavering.

"You and I both know he wants something from you, Shadow!" the Super hedgehog hissed, his eyes narrowing further, "Why won't you accept that?"

His last few words had turned out an unintentional yell but Shadow's cold stone mask that hid his emotions never cracked.

"I don't care."

Furious red eyes widened out of pure shock as Sonic's grip on Shadow's quills weakened.

The black and red hedgehog took notice to this but decided not to break free yet. Here he had a chance to break Sonic's spirit and willpower to "rescue" him, and he wouldn't let that slip away so easily.

"I'll sell my body and soul to the devil himself if I have to..." Shadow continued, his ebony eye slowly opening with a few blinks.

"...As long as **he **dies!"

Taking the onslaught of waves containing shock that hit Sonic at the moment, Shadow twisted his head out of the golden hedgehog's grasp, ignoring the stinging pain he received in exchange.

With a sudden jump, Shadow was a good twenty feet away from Sonic, the outline of a jewel beginning to thump within his chest.

Sonic's crimson eyes remained wide at the realization of his mistake and the bitter consequences. He knew that emerald throbbing in Shadow's chest all too well, and he knew what was going to happen as well.

With a hiss similar to that of twisting fire released from an enclosed space, Shadow's black and red fur was washed over by a dull golden.

Then, setting Sonic's fears correct, hot ebony flames began to twist from the emerald's position on his chest and over the newly formed yellow fur.

Shadow's mouth slowly twisted into a smirk as the waves of black fire-patterns spread across his head and quills last, his ebony eyes finally washing back to their usual crimson.

_'It must've been an after-effect of the emerald,' _Sonic thought in his mind, witnessing the transformation he knew all too well.

"Now," Shadow growled in a low, deep and venomous voice, "It's time to see which one of us is truly superior!"

Sonic's wide fuchsia eyes instantly narrowed at Shadow's encrypted threat as his dirty, gloved hands twisted into fists. Shadow's smirk arched even more as a vortex of black and yellow energy burst around his body in an instant, as if challenging Sonic.

The purer of the two hedgehogs seemed to understand and accept the offer as he also summoned a spinning vortex of revolving energy around his own body, only it was pure yellow, not tainted by obsidian like Shadow's.

Waves splashed at the shores of the lake as if nature itself was anticipating the oncoming fight and in two bursts of light, one yellow and one yellow and black, the two former friends charged at each other.

* * *

Shadow's evened the odds. With the reactivation of the Dark Emerald, will he grasp victory? Find out next time in the chapter entitled: _A Lost Soul_, coming your way tomorrow!


	29. A Lost Soul

**Chapter 29- A Lost Soul**

Sonic ducked under the speed of the lightning-challenging punch Shadow had just aimed at his head.

Quick to retort, Sonic hooked his glowing arm and drove it at the Dark Super hedgehog. Shadow caught the fist easily in his hand with a clap and spun his body around, coming at Sonic with a high kick to the head.

The sudden leg-attack caught the Super hedgehog off guard and hit him straight in the jaw, earning a yell of pain from the hero.

Quick to release his grip on his former rival, Shadow charged at the airborne Sonic and kneed him straight into the back with such force that a loud crack rang through the air.

The speed demon grimaced out of pure, hot pain before falling to the ground in a heap, his Super form still in tact to his own personal relief.

"You have no chance against me in this form, moron," Shadow quietly taunted, his yellow and black body landing next to Sonic's fallen one.

Through the dirt covering his face, the golden hero managed to weakly smirk.

Then, in a sudden gust of wind, Sonic disappeared in what appeared to be five horizontal lines, washing his body away and out of Shadow's sight.

Vermilion eyes widened as the obsidian-tainted hedgehog scanned the area, looking anywhere and everywhere for his counterpart.

Sonic's position became perfectly clear to Shadow when a loud swirl of energy accompanied by a battle cry rang through the air above Shadow's head.

Right above him, in front of the raging waterfall, Super Sonic dived headfirst at the power-lusting Shadow, a swirling orb of icy blue energy in his right hand.

Shadow's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the attack. Apparently, it was Sonic's newest that was just developed recently.

In fact, the ultimate life form himself had only seen Sonic use it on one other occasion.

_Flashback_

_Shadow jumped back a few feet to allow the hedgehog some space, as he had no idea what attack he would be using so it was in his best interest to steer clear._

_Holding his right hand open-palmed in front of him, Sonic's brows furrowed as he began concentrating energy into it. _

_Soon, a light blue energy sparked to life within the hedgehog's hand, manifesting itself until it grew into a large sphere, about the size of Shadow's Chaos Spear, only unlike the ultimate life form's attack, Sonic's orb wasn't giving off an abundant amount of energy sparks and crackles, but seemed to be swirling within itself, like a miniature hurricane._

_With a small smile, Sonic's hand stretched out behind him as he took off, dust and sand flying up behind him and onto a shocked black and red hedgehog._

_'When did he learn such an attack, it's similar to my new Chaos Spear!'_

_Algos, in the mean time, was standing up straight again, more than aware of the blue hedgehog's approach._

_Growling to himself, the sand manipulator summoned a large wall of hardened sand in front of him for protection._

_'Now all I have to do is wait, if he alters his course, he'll lose speed and I'll be able to catch him,' Algos thought slyly. _

_Sonic's eyes turned into slits at the sight of the sand wall being summoned. With a loud battle cry, the hero's speed increased so that he was going double as fast as he was before._

_Green eyes widened in anxiety, and fueled by pure adrenaline, Sonic's right arm darted forward and pierced into the sand wall, completely shattering it, as if it was glass._

_Shock overcame Algos' features as neither Sonic's attack nor his run weakened or broke at all, continuing straight for his foe._

_With one final leap, Sonic was in front of Algos and with all the momentum he had accumulated during his run, thrust the attack straight into Algos' chest._

"_**Shining Lance**!"_

_The icy blue light of the attack overshadowed both Algos' and Sonic's features as the attack crashed into Algos' exposed chest. _

_With the sand hedgehog's stubborn feet still planted firmly into the ground, Sonic's mighty attack sent him flying backwards, his feet leaving two long, skinny trails burrowed into the sand._

_The wind whizzed by Algos' ears as he continued flying until finally hitting a large, sand covered boulder, completely destroying it and sending up a cloud of thrown up sand. _

_The boulder collapsed into itself from the force of the impact, burying Algos with it._

_End Flashback _

"The Shining Lance, eh?" Shadow mused quietly, watching the Super hedgehog tear through the sky at him like a flaming, golden arrow tipped with cerulean.

Slowly, the black and yellow hedgehog raised his own hand, this time to eye-level, summoning a swirling, crimson aura around it with a dark smirk.

The vermilion energy mixed with the yellow and obsidian already surrounding his body, making the new source of energy that was slowly traveling up his arm turn a heavier red than before.

"I know all about your attack, and that you need a direct hit after gaining a large amount of momentum for it work," the ultimate life form sneered as the heavy crimson energy swirled around his right arm, completely covering it.

"Chaos..." Shadow growled in a low, rough voice as he drew his arm back, bending his body towards his withdrawn arm as well.

Up in the air, Sonic's eyes widened momentarily from behind the swirling energy ball of his Shining Lance.

'_Crap, I can't move!_' the golden hedgehog yelled in his mind in a panicked voice.

"...**BLAST**!"

The ultimate life form's arm shot forward faster than Sonic had expected it, sending a huge rippling shaft of crimson-light energy from his arm and towards Shadow's counterpart.

The blast of red light illuminated the sky and valley in a light fuchsia momentarily before white light poured into the scene, shifting the colors of the area back to normal afterwards. Shadow smirked as the last of the hellish red energy left his arm. Slowly, the black and red hedgehog lowered it.

Sonic was no longer in his sight.

Ruby red eyes scanned the area in case the speed demon tried another sneak attack but by what Shadow could tell, the blue one was hit head-first with the attack.

'_How foolish,_' Shadow sneered in his mind, '_To attack head-on when he knew what I had in store for him--'_

Shadow's eyes widened.

'_Unless--'_

The ultimate life form's train of thought came to an abrupt halt when a fist gloved in snowy white crashed against his jaw, sending him spiraling into one of the large boulders that bordered the side of the waterfall.

Grimacing as his body hit the unforgiving stone, the energy vortex surrounding Shadow faded away into nothingness.

Managing to keep his eyes open, Shadow caught a glimpse of Sonic charging full speed at him, the hero's golden fur glittering under the harsh and bright sun above.

More waves of pain shot through the black hedgehog's body as Sonic dug his fist into the ultimate life form's stomach, unwillingly causing him to arch his body forward and spit up a small pool of blood.

Releasing a furious roar of anguish, both mentally and physically, Sonic grabbed his dark counterpart by the neck, squeezing as hard as he could and causing the obsidian hedgehog to wheeze and choke for air.

Using his left leg as a pivot, the Super hedgehog spun around, making a full one hundred-eighty degree turn and launched the Dark Super hedgehog in his grasp high up into the air.

Waves of cold, fresh air filled Shadow's lungs as he greedily sucked in the life-giving oxygen. Managing to figure out in less than a second where he was, the ultimate life form performed a vertical spin and landed safely on the top of the right boulder on the side of the waterfall.

With one knee on the ground and the other supporting one arm, Shadow grasp his throat with his free hand, attempting to collect more air into his nearly crushed lungs.

His recollection was cut short when Super Sonic burst into his sight in a flash of gold, crashing against the black hedgehog with all his might, inadvertently sending both warriors tumbling on the cold, rocky surface.

Sonic was back on his feet before the yellow and black one was but chose not to attack, rather letting the dark hedgehog regain his own footing as well.

The dark hedgehog was mildly surprised at Sonic's hesitation as he managed to hold back a few winces of pain, staring his counterpart directly into the eye.

"Why won't you listen to me?" Sonic finally asked after a heavy silence that burdened both hedgehogs.

Shadow's upper lip twisted into a small sneer at the legendary speedster's sudden question but he chose to remain silent.

"Why won't you listen to reason?" the Super hedgehog asked again, taking a step towards his friend.

Shadow's raised lip lowered back to its original position. "Reason means nothing to me, neither does your worry about what I do."

Scarlet red eyes belonging to Sonic widened slightly as he took in a shallow and sharp breath.

"I have no further interest in you or anyone I've associated myself with," the evil-tainted hedgehog continued, this time nonchalantly, "So stop concerning yourself with me."

It took Sonic a while to take in the new information the black and yellow hedgehog was so unkindly presenting him with at the moment but he managed to keep his composure.

Bubbling inside of the hero at the moment were many emotions that quickly shifted about to become dominant.

First there was confusion.

Then sadness.

Then pain.

And finally anger.

"How can I?" Sonic shouted, raising his index finger and pointing it at the ultimate life form, "You're my friend! How can you expect me not to care when you want to do something so dangerous?"

Shadow lifted his head slightly, raising his chin and regarded the yellow hedgehog in pure nonchalance. "You have no business meddling in my affairs."

The Super hedgehog shook his head angrily, as if not wanting to accept the black and yellow hedgehog's words. "Bullshit! I'm your **friend**! Has everything we've done together become completely meaningless to you because of your revenge? Do you not consider me your friend?"

A moment of silence overtook the heavy conversation before finally, after what seemed like an eternity to the raging Sonic, the ultimate life form slowly closed his eyes, betraying almost a hint of sadness.

"It wasn't meaningless," Shadow explained quietly, his eyes still closed, "Through it all, you have become my friend..."

Sonic unwillingly widened his bloody red eyes in complete shock at the Dark Super hedgehog's words. His mouth slowly opened and remained agape.

Shadow just called him his friend? If that was true, why was he doing all of this and stabbing him in the back?

"...However," Shadow's vermilion eyes snapped open and directed themselves at Sonic, narrowing slightly, "I cannot be burdened by this friendship if I wish to attain power and kill my brother."

"Don't you understand?" Sonic shouted, swiping his hand through the air, his eyes leaving all features of shock behind, "If you go to Mephiles, there's no telling what he'll do! You might not come back..."

Sonic's voice dropped a great deal, lowering only to a whisper. "You might die."

Shadow didn't miss a beat before he responded. "I don't care. Must I always repeat myself to you? If Eclipse dies as the result of me going to Mephiles, that's all that matters to me. These friendships I have created with you and the others hindered me. They need to be destroyed..."

Then, taking Sonic completely by shock, Shadow disappeared from his line of sight. Panic overtook the hero as he scanned the area with his scarlet eyes, searching for any trace of the treacherous hedgehog.

The speed demon could've sworn his heart stopped when he heard Shadow whisper from behind him.

"...And I'll start by destroying my bond with you!"

Less than a second later, Sonic felt the ultimate life form grab him by the throat, causing the super-sonic hero to start gasping desperately for air.

With a earth-shaking roar, Shadow's grip on Sonic's neck tightened, forcing the hero to grimace before he felt air whizzing by his ears.

Shadow had just jumped off the huge boulder.

Sonic's eyes suddenly became hollow at the dreaded realization that Shadow really was trying to kill him. He had tried to deny it through the whole fight but somehow it just now clicked in his mind.

The worst part was he couldn't get out of this hold even if he wanted to.

He was going to die.

With another roar resounding his own strength, Shadow lifted the golden hedgehog up so he was positioned just to the side of his head.

This was it, the final killing move. There was no way Sonic would recover from this one.

It was another technique Shadow had developed over his training, the final one to be exact and by far the most lethal when it came to physical combat. He had decided to name it according to its frightening ability to instantly kill:

Hell Hound Fury.

Mere feet away from the hard and rough terrain at the bottom of the boulder, Shadow began to move Sonic's body down in a slamming motion at incredible speed and power. With a sickening and thunder-rivaling crash, Shadow slammed the Super hedgehog onto the rocky ground neck-first, earning him another noise, this time a thunderous crack.

Shadow's body landed with a much smaller crash a millisecond after Sonic's body had collided with the ground, with the black hedgehog landing on his feet, releasing his grip on the yellow hedgehog's neck.

No noise followed the landing, even the roar of the nearby waterfall seemed to mute. All Shadow could do was stare at the motionless body of his closest friend that he had just choke-slammed into the rocky ground.

Slowly and shakily, the Dark Super hedgehog scooted away from Sonic's body, strangely still retaining its golden color.

But Shadow took no notice to the small detail of Sonic's fur, only his wide open, dull eyes and his motionless form...

...Before the ultimate life form's head reared to the side, just barely stopping himself from throwing up.

* * *

Sonic's...dead. Can this be true? Is it all over for everyone's favorite blue hero? Find out in the next chapter entitled _Crimson Darkness_!


	30. Crimson Darkness

Author's Note: Surprise! Chapter 30 is here already! Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Chapter 30- Crimson Darkness**

Rays of light slowly but surely withered away into only a few feeble strands of illumination. Water churned unsteadily under the increasing darkness, and even the roar of the mighty waterfall nearby seemed to calm itself.

Shadow was back on his feet, however warily it was, running the back of his gloved hand over his lips, brushing his black and yellow colored arm against his face.

Before him lay Sonic, his eternal rival and now hated enemy, apparently dead as far as the dark hedgehog could tell. The golden Super hedgehog had not budged an inch after taking Shadow's devastating choke-slam off the side of the cliff: the Hell Hound Fury.

The ultimate life form stumbled back a few steps before coming to a complete and utter halt, lowering his arm away from his face, his wide red eyes slowly regaining their natural shape of indifference.

Sonic's eyes, the same color of the ones Shadow currently possessed were wide and dull. Not a flicker of life sparked within them, there was no way the famed hero was still alive. He hit the ground at least at eighty miles an hour, straight on his neck and head.

Shadow let a sharp intake of air enter his mouth in a quiet hiss when Sonic's body stirred slowly, beginning to roll off the earth it was lying on. With a quiet splash, Sonic's super-charged body entered the large, clear lake.

For a split second, Shadow wanted to reach out and stop his rival from sinking into the water, but he abruptly stopped himself.

This is what he had chosen, he couldn't go back now that he had done so much. Saving the idiot now wasn't an option anymore. He had warned him, told him to go home, Sonic had brought this upon himself.

But try as he might the black-tainted hedgehog could not suppress a small gasp when Sonic's body completely submerged beneath the water, the last of his golden body sinking with a quiet plop.

The famed hero, Sonic the Hedgehog, was dead.

That was the one phrase that ran through Shadow's mind again and again, repeating itself like an old, broken record.

"I warned you, Sonic," Shadow mumbled quietly, his lips feeling completely numb.

He had no regret anymore. Everything of the old Shadow was being stripped away and destroyed little by little, and had been over the past few days...no, weeks. Ever since he had learned about his brother's existence, there has been only hate on his thoughts, leading to this new, dark and murderous Shadow to be born.

Quietly turning his head to the side, then his whole body, with his back facing the large body of water, Shadow was about the deactivate the cursed power the Dark Emerald endowed him with when one, simple realization snapped into his mind.

Sonic was still in his Super form!

No sooner had his consciousness voiced the realization did a loud crash ring through the air, accompanied by waves of splashing water.

Quickly jerking his body back to its original position, Shadow's eyes widened out of pure shock when he saw the water in the center of the large lake begin to twist up, much like a tornado.

The tornado of water climbed higher and higher into the air, twisting and turning like a large snake until it reached the height of the large boulders on either side of the waterfall.

The ultimate life form's widened eyes squinted slowly when he saw a small, black form in the center of the large water twister.

No, it was a shadow, a silhouette!

A silhouette in the form of a hedgehog with spiked quills.

The spot of water where the shadow was located suddenly ripped open, as if someone had torn through it with a large knife, sending more waves of water into the already churning lake below.

The dark hedgehog could see it clearly now.

It was his rival...his friend.

Only, the famed hero had changed considerably, physically that is.

His entire demeanor seemed much more ferocious and angry than it had been before. His lips and muzzle were twisted into an animal-like snarl, showing of his pearly, blood-stained teeth.

Sonic's eyes were still a bloody red, only they seemed much lighter, almost a fuchsia shade. His whole body was drenched in the very same crimson liquid that had given him life in the first place: blood.

But by far the most outstanding characteristic, at least to the ultimate life form observing him, was Sonic's fur that flashed back between a bleached white, a light pink, and a scarlet red about every second or so.

The dark hedgehog's eyes narrowed ever so slowly at the sight. He knew very well of this new form that Sonic had just tapped into, but how the famed hero did it, he had no idea.

Usually it took the power of the Chaos Emeralds amplified by the Master Emerald to reach this form, yet Sonic had done it with neither.

It was an amazing and incredible accomplishment, and even Shadow admitted that to himself. Even he still needed the Chaos Emeralds to reach his Super form, yet alone his Hyper form.

But he didn't need those worthless gems anymore, now he had the Dark Emerald at his disposal, to use whenever he wished, to gain him incredible powers that rivaled those given by the Chaos Emeralds.

And he hadn't even unlocked the full potential of the Dark Emerald yet. Perhaps it was necessary now that Sonic had reached his Hyper form.

"**Shadow**!" Sonic growled, his voice loud and menacing, "I won't let you go to Mephiles! I'll beat you unconscious and drag you back!"

A small, dark smirk flickered onto Shadow's face at the Hyper hedgehog's words. So, he was still determined to keep him from leaving?

To Shadow, the two enemies started to sound like broken records, with Shadow keeping on telling Sonic that he was leaving and the blue hero in turn protesting it and telling him he would stop him by force.

That was a clear sign that it was time to end this battle.

With a quiet shuffle of his feet, Shadow got into a defensive stance, raising his arms to his sides in order to prevent any flanking attacks.

Sonic seemed to take to the silent invitation all too well and clenched both of his gloved, now less than white, hands into fists.

Then, with a burst of water and energy, sending the spiraling funnel of water to its demise into the lake below with a crashing splash, Sonic blasted off towards the stationary Shadow.

With earth-tumbling and wind-cutting speed, the hero of planet Earth and friend of Shadow the Hedgehog crashed into the black and yellow, fury-filled hedgehog with his elbow.

Blood sprayed from the dark hedgehog's mouth like a crimson fountain as his eyes shrank to the size of dots, his vision crippled with blurriness and black dots.

Sonic took no heed to Shadow's pain and didn't hesitate a second before he swung around, hitting the black hedgehog with a powerful kick to the head, successfully reaching his target.

Shadow could have sworn he heard his brain rattle from the thunderous kick of the Hyper hedgehog.

Sonic roared furiously as Shadow's entire body began to tilt to the side. With a rough grab to the arm, the hero yanked the black and yellow hedgehog back into his fist's range and sent a powerful punch crashing into Shadow's chest.

Despite the attempted effort to suppress it, Shadow screamed out of pure pain, feeling as if he had been stabbed in his chest with a flaming spear.

Tumbling onto the ground, the black hedgehog stumbled back onto his feet quickly, only catching a glimpse of white and red fur before more pain tore his senses apart.

With another turbulent set of flips, Shadow felt waves of ice wash around his body, numbing his fingers before he realized that he had been punched directly into the lake, courtesy of Sonic.

Gasping, Shadow performed a small flip in the icy liquid before shooting out of it, his body a mere blur. Cursing at the realization that he was above the lake, the dark hedgehog activated his hover shoes.

Golden flames burst from the soles of his feet as he felt his body steady slowly in the air, his shoes creating a flare much like that of a fire.

He had been wondering why he didn't have the ability to fly in the Dark Super form when he was able to when in the Super form.

But it wasn't that important, he could still remain airborne as long as he had his mechanical hover shoes at his disposal.

Remembering the battle he was in, the ultimate life form's eyes quickly shifted to Sonic's position. The Hyper hedgehog had not moved from his previous spot on the rocky surface below.

'_Good,_' Shadow breathed out in relief, '_It will give me a chance to recover and release the next stage of the emerald.'_

Fate seemed to be on Sonic's side today though as a knife was swiftly torn through the dark hedgehog's plans for power increasing.

The dark hedgehog had only blinked before Sonic was right in front of him, almost causing the black and yellow hedgehog to lose his concentration and fall into the lake below.

With a swift hook of his arm, as fluid and smooth as the water below them, Sonic punched the ultimate life form in the gut, earning more blood from the black hedgehog's mouth.

Stumbling in the air slightly, Shadow growled through blood stained, clenched teeth and sent his own fist at Sonic's head, his first attack since his Hell Hound Fury.

The direct punch was avoided easily by Sonic, only seeming to anger the Hyper hedgehog even more than before. With another swift movement, this time of his left leg, the famed hero kicked Shadow directly in the face.

Shadow felt his jaw crack from the force of the blow before he felt Sonic grabbing him by the neck.

Immediately choking and gasping for air, Shadow's teeth clenched and his mouth opened as he attempted to suck in some oxygen.

Clenching his eyes shut, the ultimate life form grabbed the arm of the hand that was wrapped around his throat with his right hand, wheezing for more air.

With a loud, primal yell Sonic turned his body approximately a hundred and eighty degrees and threw the black hedgehog like he was a mere baseball, straight at the giant waterfall in the background.

A loud crash mixed with a splash rang through the air as clear as a bell as Shadow hit the waterfall. The waves of cascading water buried the black and yellow hedgehog when he put up no worthy effort of resisting, his body still focused on regaining the air it lost.

Sonic's narrow, furious eyes quietly examined Shadow falling to the lake along with the waterfall, his body hitting the churning surface with a splash.

In a flash, the speed demon was at Shadow's position and grabbed the black hedgehog by the arm before he could become submerged in the water.

Raising the black hedgehog's arm above his head, making sure that Shadow was eye to eye with him, Sonic scoffed.

Drawing his free hand back, the Hyper hedgehog tightened it into his fist as the muscles in his entire body tensed.

Then, Sonic sent his fist crashing against Shadow's face again, and again, and again. The hero's arm seemed to disappear into a red blur as his arm moved back and forth again, beating the ultimate life form within an inch of his life.

After what seemed like an eternity to both of them, Sonic tossed Shadow onto the left side of the rocky plain surrounding the large lake.

The ultimate life form's body, now very much like a rag doll, hit the rocky surface, sending up small rocks and dirt as he tumbled a few timed before coming to a stop.

Sonic breathed out heavily, raising the fist he had just used on Shadow and examining it. He had hit Shadow so hard and so many times, that the glove's parts covering his knuckles had ripped apart, exposing the hero's tan fist, which was covered in blood, both his and Shadow's.

His acute ears picked up the sound of what could only be Shadow's cough.

Jerking his head to face the ultimate life form's body, Sonic found him to be lying on his back, legs and arms sprawled out like a spider web.

Blood was seeping profusely from the dark hedgehog's face, dripping down to his sides and covering parts of his quills and the ground he was laying on in the crimson liquid as well.

A small pang of regret shot through Sonic's mind at the sight of his pummeled ally. But just as soon as the emotion had surfaced, it disappeared when Shadow stirred and warily pushed his body to a vertical position.

Sonic growled lowly at the sight of the bloody ultimate life form still wishing to continue the fight, when it was perfectly clear that Sonic had won.

There was no way, in the hero's mind, that Shadow could overpower him now that he had attained his Hyper form, however that may have been possible.

Shadow coughed again before spitting some blood out of his mouth with a quick twist of his head, sending it splattering onto the ground a couple of feet from him.

Looking up at Sonic, something flashed in the dark hedgehog's eyes that unnerved the hero, a deep and hidden purpose of anger.

The normally cerulean colored hedgehog shook the thought out of his head, his mind once again set on immobilizing Shadow and dragging him back home.

* * *

The fight comes to an epic and exploding conclusion in the next chapter. Don't miss it!


	31. Truly the End?

**Chapter 31- Truly the End?**

An eerie silence traveled into the space between the two stand-off warriors, their eyes never leaving each others. Both eyes held the same color, but behind them were clear windows into the souls that held the intentions of both.

First, was the legendary hero, Sonic the Hedgehog, whose scarlet eyes held a stubborn and determined look that clearly showed the "never give up" attitude of the Hyper hedgehog.

Sonic's fur continued to slowly flash in and out, between fuchsia and white, but his body remained motionless, his feet set firmly on the ground.

The once ferocious and vicious swirl of scarlet energy that surrounded him when he first reached his new level of power had disappeared. Instead, while still the same color, the energy surrounding him melted off his body slowly and calmly, resembling steam.

Second was the ultimate life form and power-hungry avenger, Shadow the Hedgehog. His eyes, a much darker shade of crimson than the ones Sonic possessed, held a quiet and boiling hatred that mimicked his intentions clearly, ones of death and betrayal.

An energy vortex had quietly slithered around his slumped form as well and although not as menacing as Sonic's, with the venomous colors of black and yellow, the hedgehog with the fur that matched his own energy waves stood his ground against his opponent.

His nonchalance had disappeared indefinitely now that Sonic had beaten the dark hedgehog within an inch of his life. Even now, after a few minutes of recuperation, blurriness still plagued his vision.

But, what Sonic didn't realize was that Shadow was preparing for something that would close the chapter to the epic battle that was taking place. It was set, in the ultimate life form's mind, that if he didn't beat the idiot now, his chances for killing Eclipse would disappear.

So, reaching within the depths of the emerald lodged within his chest, the actual gem and its reason for its existence within him still a mystery, Shadow grasp a new, flaming power, that could only be described in one, single word:

Evil.

"Shadow," Sonic growled venomously but with a booming voice, making sure the black hedgehog could hear him, "It's over, you've lost."

Something flickered in Shadow's ruby-red eyes and he lifted his head instantly, his brows furrowing. This buffoon really thought that the battle was over, that Sonic had won? How foolish.

"You promised to break every bone in my body," the ultimate life form responded with a hint of sarcasm, his voice on the same level as Sonic's, "Yet you have failed to crack even a single one."

"Don't push it!" the Hyper hedgehog barked, the red aura around him flaring as if representing his temper.

A ghost of a smirk appeared on Shadow's face and the dark hedgehog slowly closed his eyes at the blue one's sudden outburst. "You lack the power to defeat me, moron."

Sonic scoffed quickly, his red eyes narrowing instantly and Shadow took notice of his rising anger, but the dark hedgehog decided to press the hero's buttons even further.

"Your attachments make you weak, that is what Mephiles and my brother have taught me," the ultimate life form continued, his voice as cold as the first day of Winter, "If you wish to gain power, you must rid yourself of your bonds, of your friends."

"Bullshit," Sonic spat, the flaming vortex of energy growing larger by the second, overshadowing the one that created it, "You let those freaks twist your mind, you're just following the path they set out for you! That's what I consider to be weak!"

Shadow's eyes snapped open at the sudden, bold statement and in an instant, his hover shoes flared to life in a brilliant display of golden flames, levitating the Dark Super hedgehog's body above the ground where he previously stood.

He quietly chose not to respond to his counterpart. There had been enough arguing and attempted persuasion. It was time to end the battle.

In a quiet, nonchalant manner, the dark hedgehog slowly hovered forward, Sonic's eyes moving to keep locked with Shadow's, when the ultimate life form came to a stop over the middle of the lake. The water beneath Shadow rippled violently at the opposing and much stronger force the hedgehog's hover shoes created, forming a small dent in the water just below his body.

Raising his muscled arms to his sides and spreading them out, Shadow's smirk darkened a few tones, the energy swirling around him bleaching into jet-black. "Prove it then, Sonic! Let's see which one of us is stronger, the one with connected attachments or the one with severed ones!"

The dark hedgehog's taunting words seemed to snap a blockade that had been set up in Sonic's mind to keep his rage under control and in a burst of hot, crimson energy, Sonic shot forward with furiously wide eyes, unearthing rocks and boulders as he raced over the ground.

Speeding over the edge of the lake, his body reminiscent of a red and white painted arrow, Sonic parted the water he traveled over, summoning walls of the life-giving liquid on either side of his raging form.

Shadow remained completely motionless, silently observing the Hyper hedgehog angrily charging at him. It was far too late for Sonic, the ultimate life form had summoned upon the full powers of the Dark Emerald.

Sonic's crimson eyes widened further and further the closer he got to the black and yellow hedgehog floating silently above the lake, his nonchalance only fueling the rage-infested hero even more. Having closed about three-fourths of the previous distance between the two, the speed demon reeled his left fist and arm back, his mind screaming to shatter Shadow's skull into millions of pieces.

The ultimate life form's smirk was still tauntingly present when more water rushed into the air from a sudden sweep performed by Sonic, splashing against Shadow's body lightly before the Hyper hero finally closed the space in between the two.

A sphere of bright, pure light shot from the point of impact between the two, engulfing half the sky above the lake as well as creating a huge crater in the water.

The turbulent liquid rushed beyond the lake's borders on all sides, splashing onto the ground and mixing with the dirt, creating a soft, brown mud.

Slowly, high above them, angels closed the curtains of the sky, entirely blocking out the life-giving rays of the sun. The entire area fell into a gray twilight, shadowing the trees around the setting as well as the waterfall and the lake it spilled into.

The huge spherical light in the middle of the body of water dotting the environment washed away to reveal nature's colors, as well as the two battling warriors locked in a life-or-death struggle against each other.

The result of Sonic's charge was definitely not what the famed hero expected.

He had expected to meet his mark with full force, crushing Shadow's skull with every ounce of strength in his body. The legendary hedgehog had put the Hyper form into full gear with that punch, yet to his shock, a result of near miracle-like phenomenon occurred.

Not only had the ultimate life form caught Sonic's fist with both palms, his left supporting his right from behind, but he had pulled down the cerulean hero's arm to that it was positioned just over Shadow's stomach.

In utter and complete shock, Sonic could only gaze as his shaking arm was restricted of movement courtesy of the dark hedgehog.

Raising his eyes from their hands and onto Shadow's silent gaze, the Hyper hedgehog gasp slightly when he saw that both of the ultimate life form's eyes were a deep, bottomless ebony.

The dark hedgehog's features had darkened considerably, but that evil smirk was still very clear and present. Out of the corner of Sonic's eye, the hero quietly observed that the ultimate life form's fur was once again changing.

First, the dark flame-like pattern of black started to glow, with it still remaining ebony but looking more like the light emitted from a black light bulb. Then, it spread over his body like a raging virus, covering all parts of Shadow's body marked by fur, including the white thatch of fur on his chest.

Slowly, the luminosity of the black flames wore off to reveal Shadow's fur to be completely obsidian. The only parts of his body spared by the coal-mimicking fur were his muzzle, the inside of his ears, the whites of his eyes, his shoes, his white gloves and his golden bracelets and their cuffs.

"Finally getting serious, hm?" Shadow asked quietly, his voice low and taunting.

Sonic suddenly felt the grip on his fist tighten considerably, to the point where the hero winced out of pain.

Shadow's smirk only arched up even further, showing off his white canines that to Sonic's horror, where now fanged much like a wild animal's. "But now it's too late."

Two consecutive cracks echoed through the air and knowing full well they were brought by the bones in his hand, backed up by the searing pain that shot up his spin, Sonic cried out.

Feeling a sudden whoosh whizzing by his ears, the hero slowly registered that Shadow had just thrown him into the approximate direction from whence he came. Far too late with the realization, more pain rattled his senses as the Hyper hedgehog crashed against the bottom of the giant cliff to the right of the waterfall it bordered.

Grimacing and coughing from the waves of pain throughout his body, as well as the debris and smoke that was tossed into the air, Sonic managed to keep both of his eyes open to spot Shadow now standing on the other side of the waterfall's edge, on the boulder left of the raging curtain of liquid.

His obsidian fur seemed to gleam menacingly with the night-colored aura that surrounded him. Hollow black eyes bore directly into Sonic's vermilion ones, neither of the two daring to blink.

Slowly, the Hyper hedgehog got to his feet, using one arm as a support to lift his body up so he could stand on the giant rock. The clouds of debris around him cleared and Sonic noted the new weather changes off-handedly. So, this was the way it was going to end?

A loud grunt snapped Sonic out of his dazed state and his eyes once again focused onto the ultimate life form before they widened out of horror.

A single, black, bat-like wing had burst from Shadow's upper back, just to the right of his spine, straightening itself out and stretching as far as it could, about four feet. The wing was complete ebony, just like the fur of its user.

The speed hero could've sworn he felt his body shake at the sight when, adding more layers of disbelief and horror to Sonic, another wing burst from Shadow's back, this time out of his left side. The ultimate life form winced out of pain, taking note to the two wings that had just jutted from his back, giving the black hedgehog a demon-like appearance.

But the raging, overwhelming power increase that the dark one felt at the moment numbed the pain completely.

'_What is this power?_' Shadow thought darkly in his mind, feeling as if he had just been released from multiple shackles that held him back.

The ultimate life form focused his deep, coal eyes back upon Sonic, who continued to stand there like a statue, his eyes wide.

Shadow smirked darkly, his two top canines protruding from the barrier of his lips. "What's wrong, isn't this what you wanted, a fight with me?"

The Hyper hedgehog gasped slightly, remembering what the obsidian hedgehog was referring to in an instant.

_Flashback_

_Out of the corner of his eye, the ultimate life form noticed Algos rising to his feet about two hundred yards away._

"_Do you have a suitable attack, one besides that Sonic Wind?" the ebony hedgehog asked._

_The blue hedgehog put a finger to his chin, "Well, yeah, there is one, but I was hoping to save it for when we fight again."_

"_This isn't a time to be holding anything back!" Shadow snapped angrily. _

_Sonic sighed in defeat, "Fine, fine, but when this is over, you have to promise me a match against you, Shadow."_

_The ultimate life form smirked, "Count on it."_

_End Flashback_

"Yeah," Sonic responded quietly, his voice low, his eyes on the ground, "I wanted to fight you, Shadow."

The black hedgehog across from him lifted one hand up to chest-level, tilting his head to the side. "So, why aren't you willing to now?"

Sonic's head snapped up, his blood-red eyes burning with fury. "It wasn't supposed to be like this! We were supposed to be friends when it happened!"

Shadow lowered his arm before he flapped both of his wings experimentally, testing to see if they were capable to keep his body afloat. "Not everything turns out for the best, moron."

The Hyper hedgehog immediately took a step forward, his eyes aflame with more fury, before he winced slightly, his eyes traveling down to the hand Shadow had cracked a few moments ago.

Sonic's glove covering his hand was a light shade of brown from all the debris and dirt it had made contact with during the fight, but the Hyper warrior could clearly see that at least three of his fingers were shaped awkwardly.

_'He broke them,_' the hero thought with a frown, turning to look at his other hand.

While it was damaged as well, it was better off than his left. The glove was ripped and dried blood covered most of it, turning it a light orange color from when Sonic had literally pummeled Shadow's face in.

"Come now, Sonic," Shadow suddenly snapped, bending his knee, stretching his right arm out straight down in front of his body between his legs, and grasping his right wrist with his left hand, "Let's finish this."

Ignoring the stabbing pain in his chest, most likely from the Dark Emerald, the ultimate life form began powering up his final attack, a sea of yellow energy beginning to dance within his palm.

Sonic shifted his body to the right slightly, letting his numb hand fall loosely at his side. Raising his good hand up to waist-level, the Hyper hedgehog began gathering his last attack as well.

A mist of sapphire blue energy began to shape with the barrier of Sonic's palm, collapsing inward as it was gathering more and more energy into itself. Sonic's crimson eyes widened out of pain and frustration and his lips opened to reveal his bared, white teeth.

Loud crackles sizzled through the air as Shadow's attack grew larger by the second. Consuming the ultimate life form's hand completely with bright yellow energy, Shadow smirked in satisfaction at the last attack his energy supply could bring him.

With a swoosh, the entity of blue energy in Sonic's hand came to a completion, an energy attack in no particular shape. It was the hero's last energy, his final attempt at beating Shadow.

Both warriors had pushed the last of their energy into their attacks. It was their final clash.

Shadow snapped his hand surrounded by energy into a fist, spurring the remnants of his power into a wilder, fire-like entity. Sonic did the same, closing his hand into a fist and twisting his energy as he did so. With a final beat, Shadow's energy drowned into jet-black, while Sonic's transformed into a deep crimson.

Simultaneously, as if it had been rehearsed beforehand, both hedgehogs shot off towards each other, the raging waterfall creating the perfect background setting for the final clash between the two former friends.

A long, crimson energy trail slithered behind Sonic as he charged at Shadow head-first, his right arm carrying the energy-infused fist drawn back behind his body, his vermilion eyes wide with fury and desperation.

Even though he was a good ten feet above the water below, it still rippled and parted under the Hyper hedgehog. The swirling energy behind him continued to twist furiously, as if anxiously awaiting the clash that was about to come. Sonic's mouth was open to reveal his bleach-white, clenched teeth.

Shadow's wings beat in a steady rhythm to keep the black hedgehog afloat, kicking up and spraying water on either side of his demonic-looking body, which was angled straight, like a giant, black arrow. His face and lifeless obsidian eyes had lost all their nonchalance as the ultimate life form showed off his fanged teeth.

Behind the dark hedgehog's body trailed his hand carrying his jet-black, energy-powered fist. It sizzled and twisted, eagerly awaiting the clash with its opposite, the attack of the Hyper hero across from Shadow.

Sonic quickly raised his arm to eye-level, holding his deadly and last attack close to his face. The hero could feel the pure energy of the attack warming his face, but he ignored the comforting feeling.

Shadow also raised his attack in the same manner as Sonic did, feeling the twisting, black energy in his hand lashing against his face. The two were getting closer by the second.

To a bystander, it would have seemed like a battle of demons, one of fire and one of darkness, locked in a battle of epic proportions, staged under the gray clouds and in front of a moving curtain of water. A mere arm's reach away from each other, both warriors thrust their fists forward with all of their might, sending their entire bodies and all of their powers into the battle-ending clash.

With a ferocious explosion, Shadow's and Sonic's fists clashed, red and black energy blasting into one another in a desperate struggle for supremacy. Neither warrior would quit, neither would surrender. They each had their own goals, and refused to let go of them.

Black and red fused into one another. Waves and crackles of ebony as well as crimson and white energy twisted off their fists, destroying the cliffs and boulders nearby with a mere touch. Like a giant spider web, strings and ropes of pure energy lashed out everywhere and anywhere, destroying anything and everything.

Soon, black and red disappeared to give way to a pure, untainted white that spilled into the scene like a divine intervention from the point of impact between the two battling hedgehogs. Everything drowned under the ocean of pure light. The trees, the cliffs, the water, and the two battling friends, they all disappeared under the curtain of white.

* * *

_Light._

_There was nothing else, just a pure realm of light. There was no danger, no safety, only a realm of pure peace. In the center of that realm, floating near each other but seemingly so far away, were two heartbroken friends._

_The two seemed out of place in the pure palace of light, with their demon-mimicking features. _

_One was a glowing red and white color, with eyes of desperate crimson and mouth slightly open. His half-lidded eyes seemed lost to the world, to the unfolding events. He had tried so hard to change his friend's mind, to persuade him to return home._

_The hero's intentions were pure, only set on saving a friend from the seductive darkness that beckoned him away from his allies and friends. They had fought and this was the final, climatic clash between the two, the one that would decide the other's fate._

_The other was of a deep, obsidian color, contrasting the realm he was currently in greatly. The bat-like wings on his back were no longer flapping; they were still and stretched out behind him. His mouth was agape, letting his fanged canines slip out of the barrier of his lips. His dull, ebony eyes were half-lidded and tired. He was tired of the fighting, tired of the struggles, tired of the pain._

_The dark one's intentions were evil and foul. His mind was set only on revenge, he only wanted to kill. That was why he had become a traitor, why he had left his friends behind, and why he had tried to kill his closest. There was no going back for him; his only option was following the road set out for him by the demon that had beckoned him with power._

_The two friends looked each other in the eyes, seeing the pain the other had been through and was currently going through. One accepted it, the other tried to deny it, but they both knew it._

_They were friends, they were brothers, and they both began weeping silently at their tragedy._

_The comforting light around them began to slip away to bring the two out of their split moment of tranquility and peace, summoning the Valley of Tears, the battle stage between the two back to their senses._

_With one last look at each other, the one with crimson and white fur smiled brightly at his counterpart, ignoring the tears flowing from his eyes. It was not a grin, not a smirk, but a genuine smile of happiness. The other, clad in ebony, hesitated slightly before he smiled as well, his wings fading away as he followed the words of his heart for the first time in his life. The dark one's smile was not nearly as big and bright as his crimson friend's, but it was a sign of appreciation and brotherhood from him._

_The crimson and white one would treasure that genuine smile forever and the ebony one would do the same. The light around the two brightened before slipping away into a deep, endless abyss of darkness, consuming both of them and returning them to where they were before._

_Two more tears fell, one from each friend. They intertwined and became one._

_The only thing left when everything was nothing and nothing was everything, was the sound of a soft but heavy rain._


	32. A Bond that Can't be Broken

**Chapter 32- A Bond That Can Never be Broken**

Rain fell, but there was no wind nor was there lightning or thunder. Only the soft but strong rain that cascaded down from above, clouding the scene of the Lake of Tears with mist.

Moments that seemed to last an eternity ago, two friends clashed with fierce attacks that shook the heavens themselves with their might. The godly light the two friends had created washed over the area like a blanket, covering everything with its comforting simplicity.

But now, the light was gone, only to leave the two friends helpless to the harsh realities of the world. Dark clouds hung above, blocking out everything else but the rain, which continued to softly hit the ground in an even rhythm.

The waterfall, a giant curtain of life-giving liquid that stood at the center of the valley seemed to have quieted down just like everything else, leaving way for the rain to create its magical sound.

Trees did not rustle, animals did not stir, and the only movement was that of water. The scene could have caused anyone to go melancholy, but that word could not possible describe the mood here now. It was a total understatement.

On the right side of the waterfall, a cliff jutted downwards into the earth, blocking the giant curtain from washing over the forest. At the very bottom, close to the edge of the point where the waterfall spilled into the giant lake of the valley, was a scene that could have brought tears to the most battle-hardened warriors.

On the ground, flat on his back, with royal blue fur, laid Sonic the Hedgehog, world renowned hero and friend of many. His powers had left him; the final attempt to end the battle with the last of his energy had been his undoing.

His normally shining azure fur was matted with sweat and blood. The hero's tan legs were sprawled out, slightly bent but relatively straight.

Sonic's arms were lying at either side of his body, angled so it looked like he had tried to form a triangle with his arms. His left glove was completely torn and ripped off his hand, leaving bloody tan fingers curled slightly around a burned palm.

Although his other hand had retained his glove, it was destroyed beyond comprehension and was dirty with dried blood and mud.

The cobalt hedgehog's head was completely straight on his shoulder, his face pointing straight up so it was getting pelted directly from the down pouring rain. His eyes were closed in a light unconsciousness and his mouth was slightly agape so that a few drops of water entered every now and then.

Dried blood left its marks all over his face in the forms of cuts and bruises. The blue hedgehog's head was completely surrounded by his wildly unorganized quills that sprawled out in every direction, flat on the ground from the rain, like blue tentacles.

Rain hit his body mercilessly, creating a vague outline of water around the hero. His body was relaxed and he was unaware to what was happening at the moment.

Above him, standing at his full height, his body completely straight was his friend and rival, Shadow the Hedgehog.

The one who had did this to him in the final clash. The monstrous form he had summoned had returned back into the Dark Emerald lodged into his chest, making way for his normal black and red colors. He stood, his fists clenched lightly at his sides, his ruby-red eyes looking down upon his fallen friend.

The ultimate life form stood right above the blue one's head, his shadow casting a blanket of gray over parts of Sonic's body.

Although Shadow himself did have injuries dotting his body, none were too serious save for one large gash on his left shoulder and he showed no visible pain at the moment. His eyelids covered about a quarter of his eyes, his lips were straight, and his body was relaxed.

The heavy rain falling from the sky splattered against the dark one's body lightly, drenching his fur and quills with more water, causing them to droop.

Shadow's ebony fur, obsidian eyes, and demon-like wings had disappeared. Sonic's milky crimson fur had disappeared as well.

It was over. The fight had concluded and the victor was imminent.

Sonic had failed to convince, and then to defeat Shadow in order to bring him back to their home. The dark hedgehog had succeeded, but now there was one last choice for him to make.

Should he kill Sonic?

Of course. At least, that's what his logical side, the one he used most of the time to make decisions, told him. Sonic had tried to stop him from going to Mephiles, therefore trying to prevent him from gaining power, therefore trying to prevent him from killing his brother.

It was in his best interest to deliver the final blow to the azure hedgehog lying at his feet right now. So, why was he hesitating?

His crimson eyes were still locked softly on Sonic's non-moving form. The blue hedgehog was totally drained of his powers, so going by reason; the ultimate life form was the strongest at the moment between the two.

But had Sonic really used all of his power in that last attack?

And then another question surfaced from his thoughts.

Had he used all of his power in his?

Of course he had, why wouldn't he? But his mind told him otherwise. If he really, truly wanted to kill Sonic, he would've aimed for a vital point, such as the neck or heart, instead of ramming his attack against his counterpart's.

The same went for Sonic.

It was at that moment, that he knew for a fact, that he could not kill the blue hedgehog lying unconscious at his feet.

He wanted to, every part of his logical and reasonable being shouted and cursed at him to finish the job.

But he couldn't.

Perhaps, Sonic was right about him, about his intentions and true loyalties. After all, he had admitted it himself to the blue hedgehog during the battle.

_Flashback _

_Shadow lifted his head slightly, raising his chin and regarded the yellow hedgehog in pure nonchalance. "Why would you care?"_

_The Super hedgehog shook his head angrily, as if not wanting to accept the black and yellow hedgehog's words. "I'm your __**friend**__! Has everything we've done together become completely meaningless to you because of your revenge? Do you not consider me your friend?"_

_A moment of silence overtook the heavy conversation before finally, after what seemed like an eternity to the raging Sonic, the ultimate life form slowly closed his eyes, betraying almost a hint of sadness._

"_It wasn't meaningless," Shadow explained quietly, his eyes still closed, "Through it all, you have become my friend..."_

_Sonic unwillingly widened his bloody red eyes in complete shock at the Dark Super hedgehog's words. His mouth slowly opened and remained agape._

_Shadow just called him his best friend? If that was true, why was he doing all of this and stabbing him in the back?_

"_...However," Shadow's vermilion eyes snapped open and directed themselves at Sonic, narrowing slightly, "I cannot be burdened by these foolish bonds if I wish to attain power and kill my brother."_

"_Don't you understand?" Sonic shouted, swiping his hand through the air, his eyes leaving all features of shock behind, "If you go to Mephiles, there's no telling what he'll do! You might not come back..."_

_Sonic's voice dropped a great deal, lowering only to a whisper. "You might die."_

_Shadow didn't miss a beat before he responded. "I don't care. Must I always repeat myself to you? If Eclipse dies as the result of me going to Mephiles, that's all that matters to me. These bonds I have created with you and the others hindered me..."_

_End Flashback _

He had admitted it to himself a while ago, and now just admitted to Sonic.

The blue hero was Shadow's friend.

And try as he might, fight it he may, he could never break the bond that they have created together as friends. His defection would only lead to Sonic's will to save him becoming stronger.

He knew that the blue hero would come for him again, but it would all have the same result. The ultimate life form had chosen this path willingly and without regrets, and he decided it at that moment.

"What have you done to me...?" the dark hedgehog whispered, his voice barely carrying into the air above the rainfall.

Why did Sonic have to have such an impact on him? Why did that cursed blue hedgehog have to befriend him?

In a sudden shock wave of pain, blurriness shot through Shadow's vision. Pushed on by the fact that it was raining, the ultimate life form stumbled a few steps backward, one hand grasping his head.

Shaking his head in a poor attempt to clear his vision, he cursed when he felt himself becoming lightheaded. He had reached his limit; his time in consciousness was numbered. Shadow's eyes fell upon the blue blur lying in front of him again, trying to refocus his eyes.

Blinking once or twice, his vision finally cleared up and he could once again see the motionless Sonic lying there. A sudden anger shot through him at his own lack of actions. He should kill the blue hedgehog and put an end to it all right here and now.

"Why…why did you have to care…?"

…

…

"Why did…you have to make me care…?"

His controlled anger and fury snapped.

"Why did you have to become my friend?" he yelled, his voice echoing through the valley a few times before disappearing.

Shadow lowered his head, cursing at his own sudden outburst. His features lightened to neutrality. Slowly, almost as if it was causing him pain to do so, he raised his right arm, holding it poised above Sonic.

"Sonic..."

…

…

…

"…Forgive me."

He collapsed.

* * *

Through the cascading rain that fell softly onto the earth, a swirl of black materialized on the ground, growing in size and continuing to spin into itself, like a vortex. The darkness grew a few feet in diameter before ceasing, spinning with soft whooshing sounds.

A hand cut through the darkness, gloved in white. Five long fingers curled together into a tight fist before a black and gray arm followed. A beat passed and then came black and gray quills, followed by haunting green eyes.

The snake-like eyes scanned the rain-induced area, finally finding its target a lying a few yards away.

With one swift motion, the phantom leaped out of the pitch-black portal, causing it to disperse into nothing a few moments afterward. Two soft clicks originating from hover shoes echoed through the air, rivaling the sound of the rain for a moment.

Slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, Mephiles the Dark walked towards the two fallen warriors lying by the lake, his eyes focusing solely on the black and red one. With a few more steps, the demon stood over Shadow, hovering over his object of desire.

"It's incredible, how someone called the ultimate life form can be so…weak."

There was no response. But Mephiles was sure that had Shadow been awake, he would have screamed in rage and dove for him head first. So, maybe it was to his advantage that the ebony warrior was out cold.

"At least you were smart enough to take my advice and come seek me out." His eyes fell on Sonic for a moment. "Had you staid with this idiot, you would never have reached your full potential."

A wrinkle of the eyes, obviously indicating a nonexistent smirk. "You've spun right into our web, little Shadow."

Bending down, the demon of time reached for Shadow's right arm and took a firm grasp of the red and black cuff, yanking it off with a rough tug. The cuff, as well as his glove and golden ring fell to the wet, slippery ground. Ignoring two of the items and only picking up Shadow's golden accessory, Mephiles tossed it over to where Sonic was laying.

With a few rings and semicircles, the bracelet came to a rest next to the cobalt hedgehog.

"This should keep you motivated."

Summoning another portal directly below him, Mephiles began to sink into it. When he was submerged up to his waist, he reached out and grabbed onto the dead weight of Shadow's arm, yanking him up with abnormal strength and stringing him over his shoulder, reminiscent of how a hunter would cradle his killed prey.

He looked at the motionless Sonic one more time.

"Don't disappoint me, idiot. I expect to see you again, but next time with your powers awakened."

Then he was gone.

* * *

Rain continued to fall as two figures leapt out of the forest surrounding the Lake of Tears, tearing leaves and shrubbery away from their origins and landing safely at the edge of the large lake in the center of the valley.

The rain parted like curtains as the two figures slowly walked towards the fallen form of Sonic. One's steps were slow and heavy, the other's were fast and light, but the identities of the two had yet to be revealed.

Finally making it towards the fallen blue hedgehog lying unconscious on the border of the lake, they were revealed.

One was a shifting blue creature that seemed to be made completely out of the substance falling from the sky, with bright emerald eyes. The other was a peach-colored female echidna, a little shorter than the watery creature with traditional-looking robes and clothing on, along with beads in her quills. The echidna girl had soft, cerulean eyes.

Anyone familiar with the adventures of Sonic and the others right before the Ark incident would instantly recognize the two.

The first was Chaos, the ancient echidnian god of destruction. The second was the princess of the echidnas, Tikal.

"Oh my," the echidna girl whispered, her voice laced with sorrow, "Why did things have to turn out this way?"

The god next to her shifted slightly, his eyes focusing on the fallen blue hedgehog before them and for the first time in centuries, he spoke. "_It is...unfortunate_."

Chaos' voice was soft, yet strong with what could be called a manly yet heavenly tone.

Tikal nodded slightly, listening to her companion speak in their ancient language that she understood perfectly well.

Slowly, she lifted her head, ignoring the rain stabbing at her aquamarine eyes and looked up towards the sky.

"The heavens themselves are weeping."

The god of destruction standing next to her nodded slightly, his emerald-colored eyes never once leaving Sonic's motionless form. "_He must seek a healer. Pursuing the dark one can wait._"

The echidna princess lowered her head and shifted her blue eyes so they were focused on the cerulean hero as well. "Yes, he must be taken care of. His health comes first."

Motioning towards the fallen hedgehog with her head slightly, Chaos nodded and moved towards his fallen form. Bending down to one knee, the god gently pushed his surprisingly solid arms under Sonic's legs and arms, lifting the blue hedgehog up with ease.

Standing back up to his full height, Chaos turned back around towards the echidna princess accompanying him.

Tikal nodded slightly and was about to give the go-ahead for them to leave when she froze.

"Wait," she gasped. Swiftly moving towards the spot where Sonic had been previously lying and brushing past Chaos, the princess bent down and examined a piece of white cloth, a black cuff, and a golden ring.

Knowing that these items must have come from the back-stabbing black hedgehog, she gently scooped up the ring in one of her fragile hands before standing back up, leaving the cuff and glove on the ground.

Turning back towards Chaos, who still had Sonic securely in his arms, the echidna smiled gently, softly laying the golden ring onto the blue hero's torso.

"_We must depart_," the god of destruction suddenly announced, earning him an acknowledging nod from Tikal.

* * *

In the dark abyss of Sonic's mind, clouded by darkness and vagueness, stood the blue hero's form firmly on a seemingly non-existent ground. His mind and body was one, the endless void of his complex soul spread out in every direction.

He knew that he was unconscious, unable to return to the real world for now. He knew that he had probably lost the battle, but maybe Shadow was lying there right beside him, also knocked out.

A sudden thought of the hero's surfaced, an answer to a question that he first asked himself when he arrived at the scene of the battle. Sonic chuckled slightly.

_'So...that's why it's called the Lake of Tears.'_


	33. A Broken Promise

**Chapter 33- A Broken Promise**

Sonic could feel the wind slipping under his fur and around his ears, his mind slowly starting to come out of unconsciousness. Like a computer that was in the process of rebooting, the blue hedgehog slowly became aware of himself and his surroundings.

Struggling in a vain attempt to move any part of his body, his actions were punished with waves of numbness and pain. So, moving was out of the question at that point. But, then why did he feel wind whistling by his ears?

Slowly lifting his eyelids up, revealing glazed emerald eyes that were pained with sadness, Sonic blinked slowly once, his vision only a field of swirling colors.

Blinking a second time, and then a third, the colors formed objects, however blurry they still were. Noticing immediately that he saw green and brown, he came to the conclusion he was probably running through the forest.

"Oh, he's awakening," a docile female voice exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

Sonic groaned slightly, his vision finally seeming to switch back on to normal. Shifting his head upwards ever so slightly, Sonic could've sworn his heart stopped for a second when he spotted what looked like two green gems floating in water.

Wait, he had seen that before. Watery...with two emeralds...

...Chaos?

The hero blinked once more, making sure that he was correct in his theory. Sure enough, the one carrying him was none other than the legendary god of destruction himself, Chaos.

"Do you know us?" the same female voice from earlier questioned, a hint of doubt in her voice.

Turning his sore neck to the right, the speed demon gasped when he saw a lavender-colored echidna with bright sapphire eyes running next to them.

"Tikal," Sonic murmured back. He turned his head back towards the face of the one carrying him. "And Chaos."

Tikal nodded. "Yes, I am glad you have not forgotten us, Sonic the Hedgehog."

The azure hero chuckled slightly. "How could I? Ocean-man over here tried to kill me."

The echidna princess nodded, a small smile gracing her soft and tender lips. "I see you still have that peculiar sense of humor."

Sonic smiled back, redirecting his attention to the former Master Emerald guardian. "But why are you here?"

Tikal frowned. "You need medical assistance."

The blue hero's brows furrowed. "Medical assistance? For wha-"

Sonic cut himself off immediately as his smile vanished. Realization hit him like an out-of-control bus. He was here, Chaos was here, and Tikal was here, but not...

"Where's Shadow?" the cerulean hedgehog asked, his voice low. He didn't need to ask, he already knew the answer.

Deep within his heart, he knew what had happened, why he was here, and why Shadow was not with him. He had failed.

Tikal's eyes shifted to the right nervously at the hedgehog's question, not really wanting to be the one to bring him the heart-breaking news. So, rather than give him a vocal response, she redirected her azure eyes towards him and shook her head solemnly, her eyes low.

Sonic knew in an instant what she meant, and his gaze dropped towards his stomach and chest immediately out of the waves of stabbing sadness that rushed through him.

That's when he spotted it. A golden bracelet. The cobalt hedgehog recognized it in an instant. It was the bracelet Shadow always wore, the one he had received when Shadow had fallen from the Ark after their last battle with the Biolizard.

It was the bracelet Sonic had given back to Shadow after they had defeated Metal Sonic together, after Shadow had been discovered by Rouge in one of Eggman's top secret research facilities.

There it was, on his round, tan stomach. Cold and without emotion, a void of anything that caused his own heart to stir when he saw it.

"I'm sorry, we were too late. The black hedgehog was already gone," Tikal murmured, the pit of her stomach twisting into a knot from the uncomfortable atmosphere. Who could blame her after all? The setting was unpleasant to say the least.

"Yeah," Sonic replied, his voice so low and monotone that it seemed the response was just a natural reflex.

Not once had his eyes left the golden bracelet laying on him.

* * *

"Amy! Amy!" Rouge called frantically, banging on the pink door of her closest female friend.

The pink door opened with a small creak, and Amy Rose peeked her head out, her face ridden with anxiety and un-answered questions. "What is it Rouge?"

"They're back," the seductive bat replied with a heavy breath, catching the rosette hedgehog's attention immediately.

Amy didn't have to ask who it was, or what she was talking about. Rouge had told her about Shadow leaving Station Square, knocking her out, and Sonic racing after him with the intent on bringing him back.

Without a seconds thought, the rose hedgehog flung the door wide open, nearly tearing it off its hinges. "Where are they?"

"At the Station Square hospital," the bat replied with a rushed intake of breath. She had practically sprinted over here when she heard the news that Sonic had returned.

Not thinking or talking any further, Amy rushed out of her house so fast that wind literally rushed by Rouge's face as she ran past her, down the street.

"Amy, wait!" the treasure huntress called after the pink hedgehog, but she knew that her friend was already halfway to the hospital.

Cursing and slamming Amy's door shut, which she had so kindly forgotten to do, the bat also took off, running at the fastest speed that she ever had.

* * *

Rays of sunshine shone through open cracks in the bleach white curtain that hung in front of the only window in the small room. In fact, the room looked like it had been completely drenched in nothing but white.

The walls, ceiling and floor were all white, the medical equipment was white, and the bed along with the sheets and pillow was white.

The only things that were not the color of snow in the entire room were the colors of blue and red.

In the only bed of the room, wrapped from head-to-toe in white bandages, was Sonic the Hedgehog. The white cloth covered both of his arms and hands, his chest and stomach, his shoulders, and his forehead and chin.

His legs and feet were also completely wrapped up but one could not see it since he had a thin white blanket covering his lower body completely.

Sitting up in the bed, his back supported by the pillow behind him, Sonic stared down onto the small yellow object in his lap, Shadow's ring.

Next to his bed, stood his long-time rival and friend, the crimson guardian of the Master Emerald, Knuckles the Echidna.

* * *

Rouge and Amy both rushed through the white halls of the hospital frantically, scanning the numbers of the rooms. The nurse at the front desk had told them to go to room 203.

Signs flashed by Rouge's eyes as she increased her pace.

...199.

...200.

...201.

...202.

Both females slowly came to a halt, stopping in front of a perfectly regular white door. On the side of the room right next to the wall was the sign that read:

Room 203.

"This is it, right?" Amy asked, her breaths heavy and rapid.

Rouge nodded slightly, placing her hand on the handle of the door.

* * *

"So, he got away, huh?" Knuckles asked, his arms crossed. The echidna's violet eyes fell upon his friend, waiting for a reply.

"Yeah," Sonic murmured in response, his head hung low in shame and defeat.

* * *

Rouge's hand fell limp, sliding off the handle of the door. Being a bat had many advantages, such as hearing the smallest noise that was un-hearable to the normal person.

Of course, that could also be considered a disadvantage when someone was saying something she did not want to hear. Such as the fact that the one she loved had gotten away and had abandoned her.

The bat felt numb. There were no feelings left in the dark empty void of her destroyed mind. Pure nothingness. There was no sadness, no anger, no joy, no sorrow. Just pure numbness.

"Rouge," Amy asked uncertainly, noticing her friend's strange behavior.

Blinking, the treasure huntress turned to the pink female and smiled reassuringly, putting her hand back onto the door handle and pushing it down.

The white door opened with a small click.

* * *

Sonic and Knuckles' eyes both fell upon the door at the sound of it being opened. Grass green hues widened to the size of saucers when a pink blur tore into the room, past Knuckles, leaving his dreadlocks waving to the side from the gust of air and nearly tackled the poor blue hedgehog out of his bed.

"Oh Sonic," Amy cried, her eyes brimming with tears, "I thought I was never going to see you again!"

The blue blur managed to give his fan girl a dry smile, patting her on the head in a vain attempt to lessen the strangle hold she had put him in.

"Amy," Knuckles drawled from behind the two, "Try letting him breathe."

The rosette hedgehog smiled, her cheeks flushing out of embarrassment as she lifted her frail body off her injured hero, deciding instead to stand next to his bed, worry and tears still clouding her eyes.

"I'm glad you're okay," Amy sniffled, her teary emerald eyes still completely focused on her crush.

Sonic smiled. Sure, the girl was annoying and sometimes acted like a brat, but she was a kind and beautiful being just waiting to blossom.

And the blue blur promised himself from the day that they met that he would be there for her the day she did.

Something caught the hero's eye and his smile faded in an instant. There, standing in the doorway, leaning on the frame with a hurt and disappointed look on her face, was the one he had promised that he would bring Shadow back to her, Rouge the Bat.

"Rouge," Sonic murmured, unable to come up with anything else to say to the bat after he had failed and broken his promise to her.

The huntress smiled brightly, shrugging her body off the door frame, and strolled into the room. "I'm glad you're okay, Sonic."

The clicking sounds of her heels were like gongs that filled the air when midnight reigned over the air to Sonic. With each step she took, his frown get deeper and his head lowered more. He knew she was trying poorly to cover up her sadness with her fake smile.

He could see right through the huntress. He was ashamed. How could he have failed? He had promised Rouge that he would bring his counterpart back with all of his might, so why was he here alone?

"Rouge," the blue blur repeated, catching her attention, his voice heightening, "I tried as hard as I could! I'm sorry, I…" his voice dropped a pitch "…I failed you."

The albino bat's smile faded away into a look of deep contempt as the injured hedgehog before her continued. "But don't worry! I'm not done yet! As soon as I get outta here, I'll go follow Shadow again!"

Then, touching her heart in a way no one else had in a long time, he gave her one sign:

A smile.

The bat could do nothing else but smile genuinely. Here Sonic was, in the hospital, with multiple injuries after just having been beaten by Shadow and he still had that same selfless attitude, promising he would fulfill what he had started.

And at that very moment, Rouge realized that Shadow was going to be home, and that Sonic was the one who was going to bring him there.

Not beginning to being able to fathom the kindness the blue hedgehog was showing her, she did the only thing she could think of doing.

"Thank you."

* * *

Author's Note:Son of a beotch, the Lakers lost the finals to the Celtics last Tuesday. We were so damn close, but Pau Gasol played horribly and the big three from Boston were just unstoppable. Oh well, it was a fairy-tale-like season for me, can't wait for the next one to start!


	34. Pieces

**Chapter 34- Pieces**

"Listen to what you're saying!" Knuckles spat, his violet eyes aflame with anger. There was only one person on this entire planet that could piss the guardian off like this.

Sonic's grass green hues narrowed. "I know exactly what I'm saying, and I'm standing by it! I'm going after Shadow again!"

The two members of Team Sonic were still in the hospital. It had been two days ago that Tikal and Chaos had brought the blue hedgehog back, and his injuries were healing at miraculous speeds. But, after Sonic had exclaimed that he was going to go after Shadow again, Knuckles interjected immediately.

"Why?" the echidna asked, attempting to use logic on his side, "Look at the state you're in! You're in no condition to go chasing after that traitor again!"

"He's my friend!" the blue blur retorted wildly, his voice full of venom. His words spilled out of his mouth without thought. To him, there was no arguing this fact. He had to go chase after the ultimate life form again or risk never seeing him again.

"Look at you!" Knuckles snarled, pointing a finger at the wrapped-up blue hedgehog, "Do friend do that to each other?"

Sonic's mouth closed immediately. There was a lot of sense to what the guardian had just said. Friends didn't fight and try to kill each other, friends didn't stab each other in the back, and friends certainly didn't choke slam each other off the face of cliffs.

"I have to," the cerulean hedgehog whispered, softening Knuckles' angry form slightly, "I promised Rouge."

The crimson echidna sighed irritably. "So, there's no talking you out of this, huh?"

Sonic smiled at his friend. "Of course not, knucklehead."

Knuckles sighed again and rubbed his temple. Sonic was a stubborn one, which was for sure. But going after Shadow so soon again wasn't a really good idea. Sonic still needed to heal and they had no idea where the ebony hedgehog even was.

"Then train," the guardian suddenly announced, catching his friend off guard.

Sonic blinked. "What?"

Knuckles shook his head; this guy was so thick in the skull. "Shadow went to Mephiles for power, to train, right?" he asked.

The blue hedgehog nodded slightly, still unaware of where this conversation was heading. He was fast and strong, but he didn't snatch the lion's share of intelligence.

"So..." Knuckles drawled out, "If he gets stronger, you won't have a chance of beating him since he already handed you your ass on a silver platter two days ago. The only logical thing to do now is train, and hope you can keep up with him when you two meet again."

Sonic's eyes narrowed in an instant. "But what if Mephiles does something to Shadow while I'm away? I can't take that risk."

Once again using the magical sense of logic, the echidna explained. "If Mephiles does want something from Shadow, why would he offer to train him first? He wouldn't waste his time training Shadow if all he needed was to kidnap him. He could've done that easily in the forest."

"So you're saying I have some time?" Sonic asked, finally catching on to what his friend was trying to explain to him.

The Master Emerald guardian nodded, letting out a sigh of relief that his thick friend was finally getting what he was trying to tell him, "Yeah, a couple of years at the least. I'd say about two, give or take a month."

The blue hedgehog smirked, determination flaming in his emerald-colored eyes. "Then I'll leave today!"

* * *

Rays of light shone down upon man-made pavement and buildings scattered across the outskirts of Station Square. In the background, people went on with their regular, every-day lives, not knowing of the pain and tragedy unfolding between earth's greatest heroes.

Standing on a small, grassy hill, his back turned towards the sun, giving the blue hedgehog an angelic outline of light, stood Sonic the Hedgehog. A small, gray bag was slumped over his right shoulder, various supplies safely tucked away within it.

In his right hand, tightly grasped, was the golden bracelet Shadow had dropped after their fight at the Valley of Tears. It was something the hero would treasure on his journeys, thinking and reminding himself of why he was doing what he was.

"Sonic," Amy Rose sniffed, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, "Please, there has to be another way."

The said hero slowly shook his head at his fan girl. "I wish there was, Amy, but there's not."

After hearing about his swift decision to leave Station Square and all of its inhabitants for years, Amy and Rouge rushed over to the outskirts of town with Knuckles, who had delivered them the news.

"Just don't try to spend all your money on chili dogs," Knuckles joked, attempting to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

"But...Sonic," the rose hedgehog cried again, "What will I do without you?"

The speed demon allowed a small smile to grace his lips. "Become stronger, Amy. I'll need all the help that I can get if I want to retrieve Shadow and beat Mephiles."

Rouge nodded, taking a step forward. "Yeah, but save some of him for me," she spat, pausing slightly, "He is a guy, right?"

Green eyes widened slightly. Well, he was glad the bat woman was on his side. If Rouge was talking about what Sonic thought she was, then he had better buy a cup the next time he intended on pissing her off.

Shuffling his feet around slightly, Sonic sighed as the inevitable moment drew closer with each breath. "Well, I guess I'll--"

Once again, Amy cut the legendary speed hero short, launching her body forward, tears now freely flowing from her eyes, sparkling under the sun like diamonds. Sonic moaned as Amy wrapped her slender frame around the blue hedgehog, burying her face in the crook of his neck, crying and sobbing freely.

Doing the only thing that came to his mind, the cerulean hedgehog sighed again and patted his pink adorer on the back, returning her hug ever so slightly. When the sobbing failed to cease, Sonic tried to coo her with words.

"It's all right Amy," he whispered into her ear, so only the two of them could hear, "I'll be back, will you wait for me?"

Lifting her head out of the folds of his sparkling blue fur, she looked at her hero with teary green eyes before nodding slightly. Sonic smiled, gently pushing Amy off his body.

Relieved at the final lack of a female's body crushed against his, Sonic let out a breath of pleasure, which was cut short when Rouge wrapped herself around him, pulling him close.

"Thank you, Sonic," she whispered, tears also flowing from her aquamarine eyes.

The blue hero smiled, lifting the bat's chin up so she looked him into the eye.

Green met green.

"I made a promise, didn't I?" the speedster asked, his near-angelic smile washing relief and comfort into the mind and body of the bat looking at him.

Rouge nodded and pulled away, making way for Knuckles, who also came up to the blue hedgehog. Sonic wondered for a moment if the nail-tough echidna would also give him a hug, but logic and past events quickly washed that thought out of his mind.

Instead, he got a simple hand shake.

"Come back without too much debt, all right?" the crimson echidna asked with a chuckle, washing another smile onto Sonic's face.

The hero nodded, adjusting the bag on his back with a slight tug.

"Take care of her for me, will ya?" he asked, motioning towards the pink hedgehog behind Knuckles, who had taken it upon herself to hug Rouge.

The echidna didn't have to turn around or ask who Sonic was talking about. He knew perfectly well who the blue hedgehog was so over-protective over, even if he didn't show it that often.

The Master Emerald guardian nodded, releasing Sonic's hand out of the small shake.

"Wait, blue hedgehog," a foreign female voice called.

Curiosity welled in both males as they turned around in unison to see a lavender-colored female echidna and a watery, humanoid creature standing a few yards away from them. Grass parted under heavy and light footsteps as both ancient echidna and god of destruction trudged up to Sonic and Knuckles.

The red echidna bowed slightly in the presence of Tikal, but the princess immediately lifted him up by his chin with a small smile. "There is no need for formalities, guardian. Your rank is on par with my own."

Violet eyes widened slightly, but the guardian nodded nonetheless.

She turned to Sonic, ignoring the curious stares that she received from both Rouge and Amy. The pink hedgehog was a little shocked to see the two she had seen during the Chaos incident here, in Station Square again. Rouge could only watch dumbfounded as she had never seen the two in her life.

"What's up princess?" Sonic asked with a toothy grin.

Tikal ignored the hedgehog's lack of respect and regarded him with a small smile. "I have a preposition for you, concerning the two females and the guardian."

The hero raised a brow. "Yeah, what's that?"

"I will train them on Angel Island," the echidna princess responded in an even voice.

This nonchalant statement definitely grabbed Sonic's attention, his green eyes focusing completely on the ancient echidna. "And why would you want to do that?"

"Wait a second," Knuckles interjected, taking a small step forward, still timid in the presence of Tikal and the god of destruction, "Don't I and the girls have a say in this?"

"_Do not interject, guardian, this will benefit you,_" a deep voice stated firmly in the ancient echidnian language that Knuckles had not heard anyone but himself speak for many years.

This caused the crimson warrior to stop in his tracks, eyes completely wide as they focused on Chaos, standing slightly hunched forward behind Tikal. Surely it was not him that had just talked in his native tongue?

Well, when he thought about it he never really heard Chaos speak at all. Perhaps it was him. The god's stare was completely neutral as his eyes jewel-mimicking eyes settled upon the stunned echidna.

"_Did you not think I was capable of such a feeble thing as speaking_?" Chaos asked, his voice seeming to travel into Knuckles' head. Was it some sort of telepathy? Chaos' mouth didn't move at all. Well, if he even had a mouth.

"_Mortals are quite peculiar creatures, indeed_," the god mused, his booming voice hinted with a small tinge of amusement.

Sonic, Amy, and Rouge had all heard the foreign voice inside of their heads as well, but were completely baffled as to what he was saying.

"Did the H-two-o guy just talk?" Sonic asked, pointing a curious index finger at the liquidly creature.

Tikal nodded, but waved the small fact off as nothing. "That matters not at the moment, blue hedgehog. You wish to retrieve the black hedgehog from the demon of time, do you not?"

Sonic nodded, lowering his finger and re-directing his eyes back at the princess. "Yeah, you bet."

"Then you will need aid," Tikal explained, her turquoise eyes scanning over the hero, "Things are not as they appear, blue hedgehog. There are larger things at work here than just the mere betrayal of a friend."

Jade eyes narrowed, partly because of curiosity and partly because of the fact that Tikal had just waved off Shadow's back-stab as unimportant. "What do you mean?"

"Things will become clear when you return from your journey. Even as we speak, the dark one with a vendetta against his kin is with the demon of time. You must depart," the echidnian princess informed Sonic, her voice neutral. Only the natural innocence and docility of the female leaked into her voice, making it sound softer than she wanted it to.

"How much time do I have?" Sonic asked.

Tikal smiled, her bright blue eyes flashing with amusement, "I believe that the guardian already explained that you have exactly two years before destiny grabs hold of you, your companions, and the dark one."

The blue hedgehog snorted. "Do you mind talking like you _were _from this time, princess?"

"Things will become clear when you return," Tikal repeated, making Sonic sigh. There was really no way past the encrypted words of this girl.

"All right," the azure hero agreed reluctantly, before leaning in towards the princess slightly, "But be gentle with that pink hedgehog over there, will ya?"

The former guardian smiled, knowing full well of the buried feelings the blue hedgehog had for the one of rose. "Yes, I will."

Sonic straightened out with a grin. Giving one last look over towards Knuckles, who gave him a thumbs-up, the cerulean hero's grin grew as he looked at Rouge.

The bat smiled at him, still unaware about what exactly the two had just talked about. Her sensitive hearing had picked up bits and pieces, but Amy's constant questions had distracted her. Looking over at the pink hedgehog girl besides her, Sonic winked. Amy blushed slightly and waved at her hero.

Turning his back to his friends and adopted family, Sonic sighed at the absence of his little brother Tails. But this was for the best. If the fox had been here, he would have surely insisted on coming with Sonic.

"Take care of Tails for me," Sonic announced, catching the ears of everyone watching him.

Raising his hand above his head, his gloved hand tightened into a fist around the golden ring in his hand, letting sunlight bounce off to tell everyone of the silent vow he had just taken.

Shadow would be back in Station Square after Sonic returned from his training.

Then, faster than the wind blowing though the sky, quicker than lighting cutting through the clouds, Sonic was gone, a mere gust of wind blowing up stray blades of grass into the air, under shadowed by the sun hovering in the sky above.

* * *

It was dark. Blackness surrounded him on every side. His body ached and his mind screamed. He was in pain, both emotional and physical. Forcing his tired body to move an inch, he immediately regretted it as waves of pain shot up his spine, forcing his eyes open.

He was in a dark place and couldn't really see where anything was or if anything was even there. There was partial illumination, but only around the small area he occupied. Noticing that he was sitting with his back to a wall, he groaned in an attempt to move again, without success.

"That idiot gave you a run for your money, didn't he?"

Crimson eyes widened.

That voice. That deep, sinister voice could only belong to one person. It was the only voice in the world that could send shivers up his spine.

"Mephiles," Shadow deadpanned, careful to show no emotion.

The demon of time emerged from the darkness, his venomous green eyes eerily illuminated by the dull light surrounding them both. There was a beat of silence in which the phantom carefully regarded the ultimate life form.

"Your training begins immediately. Get up and follow me."

Carefully remaining neutral, Shadow forced himself to stand, using the wall behind him to shakily raise his body. His vision was hazed by blurriness and black dots when he did so, but he shook his head violently and cleared all distractions out. The hand that he had used to support himself left the wall.

_I tried to be perfect_

_But nothing was worth it_

_I don't believe it makes me real _

_I'd thought it be easy_

_But no one believes me_

_I meant all the things that I said_

Mephiles turned around, hiding his widened eyes. Sure, he had given the order for the ultimate life form to get to his feet, yet he didn't actually believe he was capable…or willing to do so.

'_Excellent. He'll follow my like a dog if it means killing Eclipse.'_

When the demon of time heard footsteps approaching him, he turned his head slightly, only enough to see the black and red hedgehog slowly walking towards him out of the corner of his eye.

_If you believe it's in my soul_

_I'd say all the words that I know_

_Just to see if it would show_

_That I'm trying to let you know_

_That I'm better off on my own_

Shadow lowered his head in shame at his own actions; at willingly obeying Mephiles. The phantom regarded him for a moment before stalking and disappearing back into the darkness from where he came.

Ignoring the stabbing pain coursing through every vein in his body, Shadow followed, with his body beginning to ink into the darkness as well. When everything was silent and only darkness could be seen, a single thought rang through the air as clear as if it had been spoken.

It was the final thought of Shadow the Hedgehog before he willingly gave himself up to darkness.

_'Fate has a way of being cruel. It left me with no other choice than to walk the road of a betrayer. But perhaps it's better this way. Perhaps...I'm better off on my own.'_

_This place is so empty_

_My thoughts are so tempting_

_I don't know how it got so bad_

_Sometimes it's so crazy that nothing can save me_

_But it's the only thing that I have_

_If you believe it's in my soul_

_I'd say all the words that I know_

_Just to see if it would show_

_That I'm trying to let you know_

_That I'm better off on my own_

_(On my own!)_

_I tried to be perfect_

_It just wasn't worth it_

_Nothing could ever be so wrong_

_It's hard to believe me_

_It never gets easy_

_I guess I knew that all along_

_If you believe it's in my soul_

_I'd say all the words that I know_

_Just to see if it would show_

_That I'm trying to let you know_

_That I'm better off on my own_

_By: Sum 41_

* * *

Author's Note: No, that's not the end of the story, that's merely the end of part one. Due to the size of this story I have split it into four parts, each with a lyrical ending. This was the first part. Part 2 won't be up for a while, but once I have a set date, I'll post it on my profile so keep checking back!

Until next time.

**Want to compete and put up your stories against someone else's? Then join my forum and competition, "Sonic Fanfiction Contests 2008" for some friendly competition between writers! Submissions are now open!**


	35. Two Years Later

**In the End **

**Part 2**

**Chapter 35- Two Years Later**

The wind blew softly, gently rustling a few leaves that had just sprouted from the rough bark of earth's children. High above, in the sapphire sky, hung a few ivory clouds, surrounding the great yellow ball that gave life to everything on the planet.

The city of Station Square enjoyed the first days of summer, for it was the month of May. Spring had just bloomed and blossomed, bringing new plants and animals into the world. The residents of the city went on with their normal lives, unaware of the events to come.

The grand forest that surrounded the city on all sides bloomed with an array of colors, all adding to the delicate mix that made up nature itself in all its beauty.

Through the brush and trees, past the chirps of birds, slow but steady foot steps echoed through the air. Leaves crunched and twisted under the shoes of the one walking through the area, a dirty red cloak fluttering about the figure like a crimson curtain.

His face was hidden within the shadows, but one distinct feature that alienated the rest of his persona stood out from beneath the darkness:

Two determined jade eyes.

* * *

A seductive white bat, now at the blooming age of nineteen, strolled through the bustling streets of Station Square, her aquamarine eyes scanning the occasional window of a shop to see if she found anything she was interested in.

After all, it wasn't every day that Tikal and Chaos decided to give them a day off from their rigorous training. She even had to temporarily close down Club Rouge in order to fulfill the wishes of the echidna princess.

But, it was all going to be worth it when they brought Shadow back. That was the driving force that had pushed Rouge on these past two years. Amy, not wanting to be bested by the bat, had also been working just as hard and had made amazing progress.

Rouge's look had changed slightly over the years.

She had discarded her old spy suite, cladding herself in a pair of snowy white shorts that reached to just below her well-developed thighs.

A pair of padded, black leather boots that hugged her feet and legs perfectly reached to a point just below her knees, allowing her to maneuver around more easily.

Covering her upper body was a simple white tank top with straps that looked a little more like it could have passed for a sports bra since it hugged onto Rouge's form tightly, giving the occasional pervert something to stare at.

The tank top was a little too short, showing off her tanned, well-defined stomach muscles.

The gloves that graced her beautiful hands were not as long as her old ones. They were a plain black color and reached to just above her wrists, although she did remove them a lot, primarily only using them in combat training.

No make-up of any kind tainted the bat's face, letting her natural beauty radiate from her. The huntress' snowy white locks hung around her face, since she had decided not to cut them anymore, instead letting them reach to the top of her neck.

On her back were two black straps that crossed each other. Each strap was attached to a pouch that had a hilt sticking out of it, making it obvious that the huntress was carrying two short swords on her back.

Some strands of hair covered part of her face, sometimes her right eye as well which gave the woman an ever greater sex-appeal as far as the males of Station Square were concerned.

"Hm, I wonder where Amy ran off to," Rouge asked herself quietly, ignoring a few stares from a bunch of teenage hedgehogs.

As if rehearsed, the door of a nearby clothing store busted open and out ran Amy Rose, complete in her new attire that she had obtained over the years with a few shopping bags in her hands.

The now sixteen year old hedgehog had bloomed well over the years. Her natural female curves and assets had kicked in while she had been training on Angel Island, giving the pink one a more womanly look.

Red boots, not unlike those that Rouge wore, were firmly hugging her legs and feet, although they were open-toed at the bottom so that Amy's toes complete with their red paint on the nails poked out. The boots, made of a more conservative material than Rouge's, reached to a point below her knees as well.

Hanging on the rose hedgehog's hips was a white skirt that reached to her calves with an open slit up the left side. Knowing full well what men thought, the girl had decided to wear a pair of black latex shorts under her skirt that reached to a point about two inches above the ending point of the skirt.

Her gloves were not as puffy and childish as her old ones were and the golden accessory rings on her wrists were discarded. Her new gloves, fingerless black ones, hugged onto her hands tightly to give her a more mature look.

Concealing her upper body was a mature and womanly red tank top similar to Rouge's, although it had a little more length, covering Amy's stomach completely. At the back of her hip was a large beige pouch that most likely contained the hedgehog's newest weapon.

Her delicate pink quills had grown quite a bit, so Amy had decided to put all of her "hair" into a pony tail that dangled just above her shoulders behind her. The girl could only be described in a single word: gorgeous.

"Amy," the former G.U.N. agent sighed, helping her friend with the bags by grabbing a few of them. "You know that you can't take all of this back to Angel Island."

The rose hedgehog huffed, eying her friend in annoyance. "What Tikal won't know, won't hurt her."

The albino bat smiled, motioning for the other female to follow her. So, the two girls that had trained on Angel Island for two years strolled through Station Square and into the forest on the path back to Angel Island.

* * *

"It's just about time, isn't it?" Amy asked suddenly, catching Rouge's attention.

The two were currently walking on a small dirt path through the forest that lead directly towards the plain below Angel Island. The shadows that the trees created rolled over their faces and forms as they continued to head towards their destination.

"Time for what?" the bat counter-questioned.

The pink hedgehog paused slightly, her eyes shifting to the side before she spoke again. "Time for Sonic to come back."

The huntress was slightly caught off guard by her friend's words. But, now that she really thought about, two years had passed since the cerulean hedgehog had left to train. And that meant it was almost time to go chase after Shadow again.

Unwillingly letting memories resurface from the depths of her mind, Rouge became lost in her own thoughts as they rekindled a buried sadness deep within her being.

Luckily for her, Amy chose to interrupt her reminiscing at that moment.

"It's been two years, hasn't it?" she asked, her soft emerald eyes refocusing on her bat friend.

Rouge nodded slightly, her eyes still focused on the path that was currently coming to an end. Noting the change of scenery, the huntress knew that they were coming up towards the plain that was below the floating island of echidnas.

The bat's internal alarms immediately rang through her at the sight of a figure in a tattered crimson cloak standing in the middle of the wide open grassy plain, just next to the giant shadow the island above him was creating on the ground.

Amy and Rouge both stopped a couple of yards away from the robed figure, its back turned to both of them and its head tilted upwards as if it were staring at the island above them.

"Who are you?" Amy asked her voice a little shaky and timid in light of the newcomer's presence.

"You know," the figure responded nonchalantly, beginning to turn towards them. "When someone talks about you, you're supposed to sneeze."

Both females gasped as the figure completed its turn and faced both of them fully. The shadows of his hood rolled over his face and disappeared as a direct ray of sun light hit his face, revealing his features to the two girls.

Two peaceful emerald eyes and a big toothy grin. There was no mistaking it.

"That's a complete lie."

"Sonic?" Amy blurted out, unable to keep her composure in the presence of her crush. "Is that you?"

The robed one smiled, tugging the hood off his head with a wave of his hand. Spiky blue quills that had lengthened quite a bit were the first things the two females noticed about him.

A tan face poked out from the heavy red robe, a big toothy grin still present on his face. "The one and only."

A loud whiz cut through the air and before the robed hedgehog knew it, he was back-first on the ground with a sobbing pink hedgehog clutching him tightly, crying into the gruff of his neck.

_'She has changed physically, she's a lot taller now, but not mentally I suppose,'_ Sonic thought with a mental sigh at the hysterical rose hedgehog.

A shadow fell over him as he looked up, seeing a nineteen year old Rouge standing above him with a smile. "Welcome back, Sonic."

The cerulean hero nodded at the bat with a grin. "It's good to be back."

"**Sonic**!" Amy wailed again, clutching her crush even harder in fear of him leaving for another two years.

"It's all right Amy," Sonic cooed, not unlike how he had when he had left two years prior. "I'm back now. Please get off me so I can breathe."

The rosette hedgehog smiled awkwardly, a small blush of embarrassment powdering her tan cheeks. "Sorry."

Releasing the blue hedgehog from her death grip and standing up, she dusted her white skirt off with a few brushes of her gloved hands.

Sonic jumped back to his feet as well, only to receive another, less-violent, hug from Rouge. The blue hero smiled and patted his female friend on the back a few times before she released him. Her eyes also held a few tears, although they were unshed.

"I'm glad to have you back, Sonic."

The speed demon smiled, before redirecting his gaze up towards Angel Island. "So, that's where you guys have been training, huh?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, it's been really exhausting."

Sonic eyed both of them momentarily. "So how do you two usually get back up there?"

The albino bat of the group put a black-gloved finger to her chin, "Well, usually I go and get Knuckles, he grabs Amy and I fly up there myself."

Something flashed across Sonic's eyes and less than a second later, both females found themselves in the arms of the blue hero, one girl under each arm like two packages waiting to be delivered.

Sonic smiled, bending his knees slightly. "That's too much of a hassle!"

Then, accompanied by the surprised screams of both females as well as the flutter of his blood-red cloak, the legendary hero took off, jumping high into the air past heights that seemed impossible to anyone else, heading straight for Angel Island.

* * *

There was no wildlife on Angel Island. No birds chirped, no insects crawled, no squirrels scurried. It could have been called a wasteland of an island if it had not been for the abundant amount of trees that jutted from the ground and the rich fruits they bore as their children.

Reminiscent of a tropical forest deep within the heart of the Amazon, trees stood high and mighty above all else, covering ancient echidnian ruins to display their dominance. In the very center of the giant floating island was an ancient temple made of crumbling, chiseled rock.

There, at the very center of the altar that was preset by a flight of stone steps resided the Master Emerald, master and commander of the legendary seven Chaos Emeralds. Its green beauty radiated throughout the island, giving it the mystical power to float.

Below the altar, a few yards away from the stone steps, were three figures, two of which modern science had no way of explaining or comprehending.

Knuckles the Echidna, guardian of the Master Emerald until he had found a worthy replacement, stood and conversed quietly with the princess of echidnas, Tikal.

Next to them, not a few feet away, stood a creature that seemed humanoid but was made completely of water. Something that looked like a brain floated within its head and two eyes that seemed like two green emeralds were attached to its face.

Causing a sudden alarm, a shadow clashed against the sun, catching the attention of the three and turning them defensive. The shadow descended upon the island and landed with a heavy thud, releasing two items that it held under its arms, two items that let off simultaneous squeals.

"Honestly Sonic," Rouge fumed, jumping back up to her feet, staring the ground-ridden hedgehog directly in the eyes. "Couldn't you have at least warned us first?"

The hero shrugged, pushing his body up as well. Amy, who was lying next to him, followed suite. "It's not my fault; I thought you guys had trained for this stuff!"

"We didn't train to endure a two hundred-meter jump!" Amy screeched. "And the worst part is that I lost my shopping bags!"

Sonic laughed slightly, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry Amy, I thought you had a good hold on them."

The pink hedgehog huffed and turned her head away from the blue hero with a jerk. "That's fine; you're going to buy me new clothes anyway."

Emerald eyes widened. "W-Wait a second," Sonic stuttered, backing up from the rosette female. "I don't have that kind of money!"

Rouge grinned, patting the cloaked hero on the back. "It's either that or you can sew her some new clothes."

The azure hedgehog was about to respond when another voice rang through the air, catching his attention and making him catch his retort. "It seems you have returned, blue hedgehog. Just in time."

Sonic looked towards the source of the voice to find two echidnas walking towards him. He recognized them instantly: Knuckles and Tikal.

"In time for what?" the speedster asked unsurely.

The echidna princess smiled, coming to a stop on the grassy ground.

"In time to learn of your destiny."

* * *

A lone robed figure sitting in a large, throne-like chair lifted its head. The flashing, dead blue lights of computer screens bounced off its heavy-looking cloak. Its slitted eyes crinkled, hinting at a small smirk.

"At last, things can start to progress."

* * *

Author's Note: Be sure to check back on tomorrow, when Chapter 36, _Taboo_, gets posted!


	36. Taboo

**Chapter 36- Taboo**

Sonic raised a brow, his curiosity heightening at the words of the princess of echidnas. "My destiny?"

Tikal nodded slightly, her sapphire eyes observing the robed hedgehog before her with mild interest. "Yes, it is time. That is why you were sent away for training."

"Wait a second!" Amy interjected, waving her hands into the air as a physical display of frustration, making her pony tail sway from side to side. "What's all this talk about destiny? It seems a little silly to me."

"Blue hedgehog," the ancient echidna announced so suddenly it made Sonic jump slightly, ruffling his red cloak that was still securely wrapped around his form. "Remove your robe!"

The azure hedgehog had never heard the princess talk in such a commanding tone before, so taking his own physical well-being into consideration, he did as he asked.

Loosening a small tied string that held his cloak together, the red material was shrugged off his shoulders, landing on the moist grass below them with a soft pat.

That was when Sonic's new look was revealed to everyone.

Although he had not changed greatly over the past few years, minus what looked like a tattered red piece of cloth tied to his upper right arm, the two loose ends it produced gently rustled by the wind.

Wrapped around his left arm was a fine white cloth not unlike what he had worn as bandages in the hospital after his battle with Shadow. They started just below his shoulder and reached all the way down to his elbow.

On his hands were white, finger-less gloves in close similarity to the black ones Amy was wearing. The hero's tan fingers poked out from beneath the fine white material.

His shoes had also changed slightly; they looked more like they were made for a sport such as basketball instead of the usual soap shoes he always wore, although they had the same basic color design.

But by far the most noticeable fact about the blue one's appearance was the sparkling golden ring that was wrapped securely around his right wrist, the same ring that used to be on Shadow's right wrist.

Tikal smiled at the hero. "There, that is much more comfortable, is it not?"

The azure hedgehog grinned, rubbing the back set of his quills. "Yeah, I guess so."

"My, my, Sonic," Rouge teased, eying the blue hedgehog with her soft green eyes, looking him up and down as a artist would observe his work to see if any adjustments were necessary. "You haven't changed at all."

"I beg to differ," Tikal interjected, halting the outpour of words from the albino bat's lips. "He has matured greatly, both in power and in intelligence. Do you not see it?"

Amy and Rouge both looked back towards Sonic and stared the blue hedgehog up and down again, their eyes traveling over his body furiously. Getting slightly uncomfortable, the cerulean hero shifted his eyes to the side in order to avoid catching their gazes.

"Nope," Amy suddenly announced, coming out of her trance-like observation. "I just don't see it."

Rouge nodded in agreement with her pink friend. She really did not see any notable differences between the sixteen year old Sonic and the eighteen year old one standing before her.

"He has changed," the crimson echidna of the group stated, speaking for the first time since the meeting.

Sonic smiled at his echidna companion. "So, you finally decide to talk, huh?"

Knuckles smirked, folding his arms across his powerful chest. "There was nothing to say to you up until now."

The blue hero scanned over the body of his friend for a moment before whistling. "But man, talk about not changing! You look exactly the same, save for that cloth wrapped around your right arm! Did Tikal do that to you?"

The Master Emerald guardian's eye twitched. "It's not an injury. This material has its purpose! Besides, you have some on your left arm as well!"

"So what?" Sonic retorted, taking a step forward. "Mine looks cool!"

Knuckles huffed, examining the cloth wrapped around the blue hedgehog's left arm. "You look like a pansy with that on! At least mine has a purpose!"

"Look whose calling who a pansy!" the cerulean hero shouted, pointing an index finger in the face of the echidna.

Somehow, the two had ended up node-to-nose from each other throughout their argument as Sonic continued. "You've been hanging out with three chicks for two years and haven't made any moves!"

"Shut up!" the vermilion-furred guardian spat, his violet eyes aflame with anger. "They were here to train!"

Sonic's lips twisted into a dark, crooked smirk. "So what? You'll have to revive the echidna race sometime you know! Maybe you should do it with Tikal!"

"Are you nuts?" Knuckles shouted, sending wads of spit into the blue hero's face. "We might be related! She might be my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother or something!"

"Actually," Tikal broke in, raising her finger. "I have never borne children, neither have I wed. You and I do not share the same ancestral line."

"See?" Sonic asked, pointing at the echidna princess. "There's a perfectly good girl-chidna for you right there but you're too much of a wuss to break the ice!"

"Trip and die, Sonic!" the guardian hissed, getting even further into his friend's face.

"Dumbass!" Sonic shouted back.

"Fur-dyer!" Knuckles retorted.

'_Ouch_,' Amy winced.

Rouge sighed simultaneously with Tikal and Amy, who were all silently observing the two fighting males, driven on by their damn egos.

"Males are so peculiar," Tikal whispered, receiving nods from the other two girls.

"Idiot!" the blue speed demon shouted back.

"Moron!" Knuckles retorted, realizing too late the mistake that he had just let slip between his lips.

Sonic instantly froze, his grass green hues widening slightly.

Moron.

That's what _he _had always called him, before he had betrayed all of them. When they went on adventures together, that was the nickname he had received from the hedgehog shrouded in obsidian.

Goosebumps as well as numbness washed over the hedgehog's mind and body like a cascading river of sadness. He had not thought about him for two whole years, focusing entirely on training. But as the feelings of abandonment resurfaced, so did the memories of that day.

Rouge gulped, realizing exactly what was going through the azure hedgehog's mind at the moment.

Before she could coo her friend in any way, Tikal spoke up again. "That was what the one named Shadow called you, was it not?"

That was the final ounce of water that broke the dam both Sonic and Rouge had built to keep their memories and feelings of the black hedgehog in check, cracking like nothing more than a straw.

Rouge smiled dryly. "Yeah, before Eclipse and Mephiles showed up."

_Flashback_

_She cut herself off when he suddenly disappeared in a flash of light, momentarily illuminating the dark area around them both. For a split second, the bat thought he had simply used Chaos Control to warp far away, but those thoughts shattered when she felt a mild, hot breath smiting her neck._

"_Rouge..." his deep, dark, masculine voice purred behind her, causing her eyes to widen slightly. Waves of goose bumps ran through her entire body at the sound of his voice._

_What was he going to do? Would he hurt her...would he kill her?_

"_...Forgive me."_

_Aquamarine eyes widened again. His words were as cryptic as an ancient Echidna text. Meaning was hidden, reason was dispersed. Before she could say anything to him, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, accompanied by a soft thud._

"_Don't..." the bat whispered weakly, her sight and her world beginning to darken, "...leave."_

_End Flashback_

"We were friends," Sonic mumbled, the memory of that fateful day also rekindling from the depths of his mind like a lantern being lightened.

_Flashback_

"_**SHADOW**__!"_

_Sonic hadn't even realized he had shouted at the ultimate life form a second time. It seemed the name subconsciously rolled off his tongue._

_The loud, shrill call of the hero echoed through the open area again and again like a broken record so many times and at such a high audio level that every living thing within a mile radius could have heard it. _

_There was no way Shadow couldn't have heard that._

_Yet, he took a step away from Sonic._

"_Are you scared of me?" the cobalt hedgehog spat his tone full of venom. Green eyes were narrowed into slits at the dark hedgehog's indifference towards him._

_For lack of a better set of words, Shadow was really starting to piss Sonic off._

_The ultimate life form halted in mid-step._

_Sonic gulped as Shadow slowly began rotating his body to the left. It seemed so painstakingly slow, as if the dark hedgehog had something to hide from him._

_Emerald eyes widened and pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints when Shadow finally faced him. A single bead of sweat ran down the side of Sonic's tan cheek as his mouth went agape._

_The ultimate life form's gaze was nonchalant; his lips were completely straight..._

_And his ebony eyes bore directly into Sonic's shocked jade ones._

_The cerulean hero unconsciously gulped as a few seconds of heavy, pregnant silence passed in between the two._

_Shadow's eyes were both completely black. That fact kept on jumping around in the blue one's mind like a rubber ball in a blank, white room. What happened to him? Was it some side effect from the usage of the Dark Emerald?_

_Sonic's body tensed when he heard Shadow's calm, deep voice ring through the air, slicing through the silence at once._

"_Hey...moron."_

_End Flashback_

Tikal raised a brow, finding both Sonic and Rouge to have collapsed onto the ground, hugging their knees tightly.

Knuckles sweat-dropped. "Well, I guess Shadow's name is taboo around these two."

"You have not given up on the dark one, have you?" Tikal asked suddenly, springing both heroes back to life and on their feet in an instant.

"Of course not!" Sonic announced, raising his hand into the air and squeezing it into a fist. "That's the reason I've been training these past two years!"

"Yeah!" Rouge agreed, a determined fire burning within her eyes. "We've been working so hard. There's no way we're coming up empty-handed this time!"

The echidna princess smiled before looking over at Amy. "And you, as well as the guardian, will aid them, correct?"

The rose hedgehog smiled, tightening the black, fingerless gloves around her hands with a few tugs. "I'll do my best to bring Shadow back!"

Knuckles smiled, closing his eyes and tossing his gloved hands into the air. "I guess it can't be helped, but I'll lend my aid as well."

"Good," Tikal stated firmly. "Then you are ready to know the truth."

Rouge raised a brow. "The truth about what?"

The echidna princess smiled. "Must I always repeat myself? It is time to learn the truth about who you really are."

Amy sighed. "I think it's about time you stop talking in riddles, Tikal."

Tikal gave the rosette hedgehog a curious stare. "I do not speak in riddles, rose hedgehog, you simply do not understand."

"Whatever," Sonic drawled with a wave of his hand, attempting to get things going. "Just tell us what you have to Tikal, so we can go after him."

The former Master Emerald guardian smiled sweetly, her eyes catching the sun's rays perfectly to give her the appearance of an angel. "Very well, but I must warn you. Things will not be the same after this."

"I'm ready for anything," the azure hero spat confidently, earning a widening of Tikal's innocent smile.

"Very good then," the princess responded politely. "But you must follow me to the temple underneath of the Master Emerald shrine."

Leaving no further room for argument or questions over this so-called temple, Tikal turned and began to walk towards the ancient shrine that held the Master Emerald.

Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Rouge all followed after a moment's hesitation, confident that they could face everything after the two year's worth of training they had put under their belts.

* * *

Author's Note: Chapter 37, entitled _The Legend of the Seven Incarnations_, is coming your way tomorrow!


	37. Legend of the Seven Incarnations

**Chapter 37- The Legend of the Seven Incarnations**

An eerie twilight shone through cracked rocks and ancient stone that made up the small tunnel that lead into the darkness underneath of the Master Emerald shrine. Where the sun did not reach, only black remained, giving four of the six entering a feeling of uncertainty.

The path had been opened before them with a simple press of a stone that bore a strange picture of what looked like seven entities swirling together to create a similarity of a hurricane.

The princess of all echidnas, dead and living, had pressed the switch, causing the earth to rumble before the stairs that lead to the Master Emerald inversed so they lead down instead.

"Follow me," the petite peach-furred echidna with sky-blue eyes ordered, taking the first step that lead down the ancient staircase.

Tikal paused for a moment, waiting for the others to decide and follow. When she heard another step pat against the crumbling rock, she continued onwards, down into the darkness until she disappeared.

Sonic, feeling rather uncomfortable but biting the feeling back, also took the steps that lead down into the abyss, disappearing at the same spot where Tikal had.

Knuckles, the crimson guardian of the Master Emerald followed not a second later, determined not to show his anxiety about entering the underground chamber. His heavy footsteps rang through the air long after he had disappeared.

Amy Rose, the more timid one of the group, paused slightly longer than her crush before also deciding to follow, her pony tail bouncing with each step that she took until she had disappeared as well.

Rouge gulped down some saliva that had accumulated in her mouth, not a very lady-like thing to do but at this moment the beautiful huntress could care less.

Setting her left boot onto the first step, she followed with the other, continuing the pattern until she too was lost in the darkness.

Very last came the ancient god of destruction, the creature that had nearly destroyed Station Square and the entire world once before, Chaos. Although composed of water, there were no splashes as the humanoid creature stalked down the steps silently, disappearing as well.

Shadows danced, the small flicker of flames placed at equal intervals at the wall treating the darkness like its puppet, twisting it and bending it to its will. Through the damp and narrow passage crossed six figures, their appearances cast over by an eerie black.

"It's so creepy down here," Amy whimpered, holding on tightly to the back of the white tank top Rouge was wearing.

The albino bat cast her timid friend an annoyed look. "Stop shaking me Amy, I'm starting to get dizzy!"

"Sorry," the rose hedgehog mumbled quietly in response, releasing her hold on the bat. Rouge sighed and flattened out the creases the younger female had created in her shirt from clutching it so tightly and redirected her gaze towards the front.

She knew that the muscular figure directly in front of her was without a doubt Knuckles. That meant that Sonic had to be in front of him and Tikal was walking in front of the blue hedgehog, leading the group.

The surrounding area suddenly brightened to a large extent and Rouge noted that they had finally reached the chamber that they had been heading towards.

The chamber was large, probably spanning a fifty yard diameter from all sides. Candles, which Rouge had no idea on how they could burn down here without anyone tending to them, illuminated the chamber. At least twenty of the ancient lights surrounded them, hung on the wall to brighten the entire room.

But that was by far the least interesting thing that was on the walls. Pictures and ancient echidnian text spanned the walls up and down, covering every inch of the circular room's boundaries.

The pictures seemed primitive as did the writing, but it had been carved centuries ago so there was no questioning its quality. The ceiling of the chamber elevated about ten yards, and even there, pictures and text covered it completely.

Casting her jade eyes to the ground, Rouge gasped when she saw that an array of text and pictures covered the floor they were walking on as well.

At the very center of the room stood a circular platform, two sets of circular steps leading up to it. At the very center of the platform stood a rectangular stone slab two feet in height, three feet in width and five feet in length.

But what the huntress found most interesting was that seven, evenly spaced-out semi-circular goblets elevated by golden shafts to twice the height of the slab surrounded it, forming a perfect circle around the ancient stone. The goblets stood just at the edge of the stone platform.

Sonic whistled, scanning around the room with curious eyes. "Whoa, you echidnas sure had a lot of time on your hands, didn't you?"

Tikal, who until now stood silently next to the blue hedgehog, fought the urge to childishly roll her eyes. "These are all the ancient doctrines and tales of my people, blue hedgehog."

The azure hedgehog's eyes landed on the princess before she pointed to the stone slab in the center of the chamber. "And that is where your destiny shall be revealed to you."

Her sandals patted the soft ground as the lavender female walked up towards the platform holding the slab, stalking up the two short stairs to come to a stop before the slab.

Unsure of what to do, both Sonic and Knuckles followed after a moment's hesitation, coming to a stop besides Tikal, left and right respectively.

Rouge and Amy followed short after, the albino bat coming to a stop next to Knuckles and the rosette hedgehog standing next to her hero.

Chaos did not budge an inch.

Running her slender fingers over the old stone tablet and the ancient text that covered it, Tikal closed her eyes as if she was in a deep meditative state.

The princess took in a deep breath of fresh air with a clearly audible sigh. Then, a bright white light, emitted from the carved writing in the stone slab, enveloped them all.

_Long ago, in a time before time, there existed no war, no hatred, and no vengeance. Peace and prosperity reigned over the small planet graced with life. Rivers flowed abundantly, food grew without restraint, and a sapphire sky hung above the ground._

_The world had not been tainted by anything that did not belong. Gods watched with keen eyes over the cosmos. Creatures only thought to exist in legends roamed the earth, living in peaceful harmony._

_All was well..._

_...But things such as those did not tend to last for long without the interference of evil._

_There can be no good without evil. That was the case, even in the heavens. This evil took a form; the form of a god._

_Havoc, the god of darkness._

_Using the peaceful times to his advantage, the other gods residing in the heavens were caught off guard when the god used his powers to spawn three horrific monstrosities, mirroring his jealousy and hatred and setting them loose on the peaceful planet._

_The flaming dragon of destruction, the thousand-headed serpent of awakening, and the shining bird of creation were born, letting their monstrous appearances title them perfectly:_

_The three Titan Beasts._

_The names of the monsters did not just spawn from their appearances however, as they were named after the one that had created them, for he was one of the high and mighty gods, a Titan God. The tree beasts that he had unleashed upon the Earth had their respective titles._

_The twisting dragon of flame: Nova._

_The thousand-headed serpent of venom: Hydra._

_The bird of lightning and thunder: Gigas._

_When the three Titan Beasts ravaged the lands with flames, venom, and thunder, the council of the gods were helpless. In the code of divinity, none of them could interfere with the matters of mortals. So, the heavenly gods watched on as the beasts destroyed one of the most beautiful planets to have ever existed._

_But the Earth did not need the aid of the gods to vanquish the three beasts. Out of the ashes of the ravaged lands rose seven mighty creatures, dominating the elements, to stand forth against the Titan Beasts. And so, one by one, they came forth._

_Out of the spewing craters of Earth's mightiest mountains flew the first beast, the emerald-eyed bird of fire: the Phoenix. With one flap of its wings, the bird of myth summoned forth storms of flames, melting even the rocks themselves._

_Out of the dry, deathly desert rose the second beast, a beast not unlike Nova himself. However, this winged and scaly beast summoned forth storms of sand and mountains with a single wave of its razor-sharp claws, for it was the Dragon._

_Out of the restless and churning seas rose the third beast, a beast with the same bloodline as Hydra. Its mighty body littered with scales slithered out of Earth's collected tears to ravage the land with the power of the sea, one mighty swipe of one of its three tails calling forth tsunamis: the Basilisk._

_Out of the clouds high above in the sapphire blanket hanging over the Earth flew the fourth beast. A two-legged serpent with wings that spanned as far as the eye dared to travel, summoning twisters and cyclones at its free will, the Wyvern came to the battle._

_Out of the pure light created by the ball of fire in the sky, summoned forth from a realm of peaceful, white twilight came the fifth beast. The body of a mighty lion and the head, wings, and talons of an eagle, the Griffin swept through the skies to come to the aid of battle._

_Out of power and energy that gave life, strength, and wills rose the sixth beast. A creature with the body and head of a lion, three tails made of serpents whipping around behind it, and a limitless supply of energy: the Chimera._

_Out of the abyss of darkness rose the seventh and final beast. Three ferocious heads set atop a powerful body of a giant dog, his fur as black as depths it came out of, his eyes the color of blood: Cerberus. With a will and power that controlled and twisted darkness itself, it sprang into battle._

_So, the seven beasts, each controlling an element as old as time itself, took it upon themselves to stop the three Titan Beasts raping the land with flames, venom, and light._

_The first of the three beasts to fall was Nova the Destroyer, a dragon born from darkness' might. The battle was fierce and lasted many days, as Nova ravaged the seven beasts with thunder so loud it shook the ground and lightning so hot it scorched fire itself._

_Using their combined strengths, the seven beasts defeated Nova after a combined attack that shook the Earth, the abyss, and the heavens themselves. Everything the great winged serpent had destroyed was restored._

_The second Titan Beast to fall to the seven elemental-wielders was Hydra the Awakener. A thousand heads snapped and spewed venom at the seven noble beasts, the serpent using all its strength to awaken enemies and foul monsters long dead._

_But in the end, the thousand-headed serpent fell before the seven noble beasts. Venom and foul clouds of poison erupted from its dying heads as Hydra made one final attempt to destroy the beasts through trickery._

_Its plans fell short by the bravery of the beast of flames and the serpent withered, cast away to the foul pit it slithered from._

_The last of the three Titan Beasts fought more valiantly than the other two. Gigas, its body twisted with molten rocks and flames, two bright emerald eyes the windows to its twisted soul, but the seven beasts triumphed and vanquished Gigas back into the fiery depths of the abyss._

_Using their divine connection to their advantage, the seven beasts defeated the bird of Hell's fire, and all the foul beasts it had created. The bird fell from the sky, its last screech of pain echoing in the roaring of every flame, for all eternity._

_Their deed done, the seven beasts laid to rest, thinking the fighting was finally over. But the Titan God that had spawned the three ferocious beasts had other plans._

_Vowing his vengeance upon the seven beasts and that Earth would one day fall, Havoc made a promise that every ten millennium, the three beasts he had spawned would receive the potential to be unleashed once again to wreak their unholy havoc upon the unsuspecting world._

_The god knew that the creatures upon Earth would become corrupt, so he put his faith in the evil of the world, hoping that they would revive his beasts again and again until the planet was destroyed. Knowing of the dangers at hand, the seven beasts, aided by the rest of the gods, made a valiant choice. Leaving their mortal bodies behind, the spirits of the seven beasts journeyed to the heavens._

_And as the evil Titan God had said, every ten thousand years, they would sweep down to Earth to defend the world against the beasts should they ever awaken from their slumbers. But since their mortal shells had been shed, the beasts had no other choice than to choose vessels to use every ten thousand years to travel down to Earth in case someone had awoken the Titan Beasts._

_These vessels were called the seven incarnations._

_The hosts, chosen regardless of stature or birth, just their suitability to the beast that wanted them as their hosts, would gain the divine powers of the beasts within them and wield them to defeat the monsters that would be unleashed._

_Crafting seven goblets, one for each of the seven beasts, the gods placed them in the hands of their most faithful followers on Earth at the time; the echidnas._

_The goblets were used to test an individual at the time of release, to see if they had the spirit of one of the seven beasts residing within them, to see if they were incarnations. Not so much as a hair of the individual was needed to determine if a beast resided within them._

_The Titan God, enraged by the actions of the seven beasts and the rest of the gods, used the seven goblets to his advantage._

_Writing the exact texts used to summon the three Titan Beasts; the god cast them down onto the planet, in hope that the blood of evil would corrupt the seven goblets and set his monsters free. The goblets were shaped into the physical catalyst to release the three beasts._

_Due to the fact that they were crafted for peace and good, not for the awakening of monsters however, only one Titan Beast could be released at a time when all goblets were lit and corrupted by evil. When a beast was released, the seven goblets would extinguish their mystical flamed, unable to be illuminated again for the rise and fall of a hundred suns and a hundred moons._

_This was the power of the gods. They would make sure that the three beasts would never be released together again, for their might would prove too much for even the seven incarnations._

_So, every ten thousand years a new evil would rise and attempt to free the Titan Beasts from their eternal prisons._

_And so, new generations of heroes would rise against them, wielding the powers of the ancient beasts to vanquish the three Titan Beasts again and again._

_Darkness and Divinity must become one to rid the world of the ultimate evil._

_This was the cycle. The cycle that destroyed the Titan Beasts every ten thousand years, the cycle that made them fall before the united incarnations._

_Cycles, however, tend to break._

The realm containing the underground chamber underneath of the alter to the Master Emerald sprang forth once again with an equal blast of blinding white light, leaving four shocked bystanders with furiously wide eyes to all stare into the soft aquamarine of the echidna princess before them.

"A portion of the tablet is broken, so some of the text is missing. But, now you understand," Tikal whispered lightly, still catching the ears of the four heroes.

Sonic's eyes regained their regular shapes. "Not really princess. What does this have to do with us?"

A ghost of what could have been considered a smirk made its visibility of the echidna princess' face.

"Three incarnations are standing in this very room at the moment."

Author's Note: Who are the three incarnations? Find out next Friday in Chapter 38: _The Product of Training!_


	38. The Product of Training

**Chapter 38- The Product of Training**

Sonic felt waves of air leave his throat, his emerald-mimicking eyes widening at the sudden statement of the echidna princess before him.

His right ear twitched. "Come again?"

Tikal smiled, a wave of shadows rolling over her porcelain face. "Must I always repeat myself to you, blue hedgehog? Three of the seven incarnations told of in the tale you have just heard are in this room at the moment."

"Wait a second," Amy interjected. "Are you telling me that all that stuff was real?"

The peach-furred female nodded. "Of course, why would I waste my breath by telling false tales?"

"So which of us are the incarnations?" Knuckles asked, his question barely recognizable as a whisper.

Soft, sky-blue eyes shifted over to the crimson-furred guardian before she raised her right hand and pointed her slender index finger at him. "You are one of them."

"What?" Sonic screeched, staring at his echidnian companion. "You're trying to tell me that that knuckle-head is some kind of ancient hero?"

Tikal nodded once again, shifting her finger so it pointed into the direction of the cerulean hedgehog. "You are one as well."

"Sweet," was the only reply the azure hero produced, the only word he could have possibly come up with at the moment.

The princess' finger moved again, this time landing on Rouge. "As are you, the bat of snow."

The albino huntress pointed her own finger towards herself, unable to believe what she was being told. "What? Me? I'm an incarnation?"

"Yes," Tikal replied simply.

Amy, who had been standing in the background, felt her heart drop. She was the only one that had not been chosen? Was she not good enough in the eyes of those seven ancient creatures? Uncertainty gripped the rose hedgehog, her eyes clouding over with tears before she felt a firm hand on her shoulder.

Looking up with teary emerald eyes, she stared directly into the soft aquamarine orbs belonging to Tikal, who smiled. "Do not worry, rose hedgehog. Your involvement is just as important."

Amy smiled at the echidna female, wiping the tears threatening to fall from her eyes with the back of her tan arm. Putting on the brightest smile she could muster, she allowed Tikal to continue as she stepped away.

"However," the princess' voice rang out, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "What I do not know is specifically what incarnation you are. That is why I must test you."

Rouge raised a brow skeptically. "What kind of test?"

Tikal waved her left hand across the area of the circular platform holding the slab. "Each of you, step up to a goblet. Place your hands in the center and if nothing happens, move to the next."

Knuckles shrugged. "Sure, why not? I'm willing to believe anything with all the crazy stuff that's been happening lately."

So, following the instructions of the echidna princess, the three lined themselves up at the goblets, at least one of the ancient fire-holders between each of them.

Nodding a little unsurely to each other, Rouge, Sonic, and Knuckles placed their right hands onto the insides of the goblets.

A second of silence past, followed by another with the only audible sound being that of the light breathing of the ones in the chamber.

"I guess we rotate now," Sonic stated, moving one goblet to the left. Rouge and Knuckles nodded, also moving to their left.

Then, in simultaneous fashion, the three placed their hands onto the goblets.

A small whoosh rang through the air, catching the attention of Sonic and Knuckles immediately.

Looking over to where Rouge was standing, their jaws would have fallen to the floor if it would have been physically possible at the sight of a navy-blue flame burning in the goblet in front of the bat.

The huntress had retreated her hand a split second after the flame had ignited, acting as if the blue fire was some kind of rabies-infected animal.

Her soft green eyes were wide with fear and confusion, completely focused on the goblet in front of her.

Tikal smiled. "Ah, so you hold the spirit of the Basilisk."

Wide jade eyes shot into the direction of the calm and collected lavender echidna. "Does that mean I control water or something?"

The former Master Emerald guardian tapped her chin with an index finger. "Yes, to some extent. As I thought, you are the third incarnation, bat of snow."

"Aw man!" Sonic's voice rang out, interrupting the conversation between the two females. "I wanted water!"

"You can't even swim, Sonic!" Amy retaliated from the background.

"So what?" the blue hedgehog asked with a small shrug of his shoulder, making the two stray pieces of cloth hanging from his arm sway from side to side. "I wouldn't have to if I could go Moses on the water!"

"Let's just get this over with," Knuckles mumbled, moving to the next goblet.

Sonic nodded and also took the next ancient fire-wielder to his left. Moving their hands over the goblets and finding no results, the two continued to move on until Knuckles was just next to Rouge's blue-fire goblet.

Tracing his right hand over its surface, he sucked down a yelp when a fiery, crimson flame sprang to life in front of him. Staring in awe at is fiery beauty; the warrior became lost in a small trance before his princess' words snapped him back to reality.

A small graced Tikal's lips once again. "The Phoenix resides within you, guardian. You are the first incarnation."

Nodding unsurely at the female echidna, Knuckles took a few steps towards the slab along with Rouge to allow Sonic to move around more freely.

"This sucks!" the cobalt hedgehog complained, moving to the second-to-last goblet, waving his hand over its surface and coming up with no results yet again. "Maybe you got the wrong guy or something."

Moving to the only goblet he had not tried yet, Sonic took a deep breath. "This is it."

Brushing his tan fingertips over the inside of the goblet, a satisfied smirk arched its way onto his face when a brilliant golden flame sprang to life and danced before him.

"Oh my!" Tikal gasped. "This I did not expect!"

Sonic turned his head towards the princess, a brow raised. "Why, is something wrong?"

The echidna princess was silent for a few seconds before shaking her head. "No, of course not. I just did not expect you to be the host of the Chimera. It is the fifth of the seven beasts, the one who wielded pure energy as its element."

The cobalt hero sighed; aggravated by all the questions he was forced to ask. "What does that mean? I wield energy?"

Tikal nodded. "Exactly. For example...did you notice anything strange in your fight with the dark hedgehog?"

Sonic was a little taken aback by the question, gasping at the mentioning of Shadow, but buried his reaction under a cool and collected demeanor. "Pshhh, hell yeah I noticed something strange! First the guy gets black eyes, then he choke-slams me off a freaking cliff! After that, these ugly wings pop outta his back and--"

"I mean anything concerning you," Tikal interjected, sighing.

The blue hedgehog raised his chin in thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "Oh yeah, there was that whole think of me going Super, then Hyper, without any emeralds."

The ancient guardian smiled. "Yes. Some of the abilities wielded by the seven creatures transfer to the hosts. Which means that you have the potential to tap into a near-limitless pool of energy."

Not knowing what else to do at the moment, Sonic chuckled. "No shit?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Knuckles interrupted, waving his arms in the air. "Are you telling me that this block-head has a limitless energy supply?"

"_That is what she said, guardian. Are you a fool?_" the voice of Chaos floated into the minds of the five other people standing in the room.

Knuckles snapped around to face the ancient god of destruction, letting his temper get the best of him. "Hey! Kiss my ass, sea-man!"

Sonic snickered at the double-meaning of the insult but it soon died down in his throat when he felt the flare of an energy bursting to life.

Eyes widening, emerald orbs landed on the form of the god standing in the chamber, blue waves of energy rolling off his body like steam.

"_Know your place, echidna_!" Chaos spat in clear English for the first time, his voice filled with such venom that Sonic was sure it would have made Mephiles himself cower in fear and run crying to his mother—or perhaps Iblis.

The crimson echidna's violet eyes widened as well, fear starting to grip him at the sight of an angry god standing before him with energy waves rolling off his body.

"Chaos, cease this foolishness," the now firm yet still gentle voice of Tikal ordered, instantly catching the god's attention. "We did not cross into this world to start such quarrels!"

Surprisingly enough, the rampaging god obliged and less than a second later, the waves of energy surrounding him like a cocoon disappeared. Once again regaining his trance-like state, the watery humanoid became silent at the request of the princess.

"As I was saying," Tikal continued. "Your ascended power forms were caused by your subconscious release – or at least partial release – of the Chimera. The more you train to wield its power, the stronger you shall become. This is what is called 'unlocking' the forms granted by the beasts, which are four in total. In fact, the simple knowledge of your abilities will cause the bond with your beast to deepen."

"So how do we release them?" Rouge asked, the fear gripping her caused by the small incident disappearing.

Instead of responding, Tikal waved her hand, motioning for the others to follow her, and walked down the stairs, off of the platform.

Not sure of what to do but not willing to be left behind in the chamber, the four heroes followed, Chaos bringing it around at the rear of the group.

Stalking through the dark passageway that they had originally followed, Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Rouge remained quiet, awaiting the princess' next words.

Suddenly, they heard Tikal's voice ring out through the darkness.

"A special connection must be established with the beast residing within you. The more your heart and soul infuses with your beast's, the greater power you shall be granted. In total, there are four main stages of power that must be unlocked. Of course partial forms also tend to appear. However, while you use one of these forms, you cannot use your beast's special ability, and vice versa."

"So I can't use my Super form without the emeralds when I'm in beast mode?" Sonic piped up.

"Correct."

A light began to shine at the end of the dark passageway and soon Sonic and the others spotted Tikal walking back up the same set of stone steps that had lead them underground.

More than eager to follow her, the four heroes and the god behind them once again found themselves standing following Tikal, who once again walked on the dew-covered grass on the outside of Angel Island.

Tikal suddenly stopped in her tracks when she had reached a point about twenty yards away from the Master Emerald shrine, turning to the group. "Now, there is one final thing that must be done."

Sonic raised a brow. "Yeah, what would that be?"

The echidna princess' eyes narrowed slightly upon the blue hedgehog that mirrored her eyes. "A final test to see if your training paid off, a battle to be exact. I have already deemed the guardian and the two females as worthy, now only you remain."

The cobalt hedgehog smirked, cracking his neck to the side. "Yeah, who's my opponent?"

Tikal raised her index finger, pointing past the group and at the silent and stationary god behind them. "He will be your opposition."

Sonic turned, eyes fixating on the watery god of destruction. "No problem. After all, I beat him before, right?"

"There is but one condition in this fight, blue hedgehog," the lavender female's voice rang out again. "You are forbidden from using your ascended form."

"What?" the speed demon shrieked, his head snapping into the direction of the former Master Emerald guardian, "What the hell kind of rule is that?"

"You cannot always rely on the powers that the Chimera has granted you. There will be times when the beast cannot help you. Besides, you have just started to awaken so your control over its power is unstable."

"That's bullshit," Sonic mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and making a childish face.

"_Are you afraid, blue hedgehog? History is unlikely to repeat itself, you must know_," Chaos' taunting voice rang in Sonic's head like a bell.

"Fine," the cerulean hero snapped, un-crossing his arms and staring straight into the eyes of the watery god mocking him. "But I have to tell you, I won't be holding back!"

"Oh boy," Amy mumbled. "I think we'd better get back."

"Right," Knuckles agreed, receiving a small nod from Rouge in response.

The three made their way over to the base of the Master Emerald shrine, taking front-row seats to the fight that was about to commence between the god of destruction and the world's fastest, super-sonic hedgehog.

"All right," Sonic smirked, cracking his neck, slamming his left fist into his right, open palm. "Let's get this party started!"

"_You will lose if you do not use your head, blue hedgehog," _Chaos responded with an invisible smirk. "_I was a raging, primitive beast the last time we did battle. Now, I am fully aware of myself_."

In response, the blue hedgehog tightened the crimson piece of cloth around his arm with a firm tug, the two loose bands that the overly-long accessory produced waving in the wind.

Curling his fingers into tight fist, the distinct sound of clothed material rubbing against each other shot through the air and less than a second later, the cobalt hedgehog took off at speeds that rivaled thunder itself.

Chaos remained motionless, awaiting the blue hedgehog charging at him with a quiet fury, his emerald eyes glazing over with blood lust.

* * *

Author's Note

: Check back next week for Chapter 39: _The Fire of Determination_! 


	39. The Fire of Determination

**Chapter 39- The Fire of Determination**

A small burst of foul language left Sonic's mouth when his first attempted punch at the god of destruction's face missed, Chaos simply cracking his neck to the left to avoid the overly plain and simple attack.

Regaining his footing and jumping back a couple of feet, mildly surprised that Chaos did not attempt a counter-attack, the cerulean hedgehog charged again, this time swinging at his opponent with a hooked leg.

With lightning-mimicking reflexes, the humanoid caught Sonic's leg in a watery claw, holding it steady while Sonic landed on his hands, his free leg up in the air. Ignoring the vulnerable position he was in, the blue hedgehog swung his free leg at Chaos' head.

Yet again, with speeds rivaling his own, the god caught the leg of the hedgehog, his arms twisting over each other in a cross formation from matching left-to-right in terms of catching the hedgehog's legs.

Sonic smirked, pushing off with his hands before rotating his entire body to the left, making Chaos forcefully drop the death-like grip he had on him. The azure hero preformed an elegant back-flip in the air, landing straight on his feet a few yards away from the motionless destruction god.

"Nice," Knuckles commented, observing the fight with intent and focused eyes. "He maneuvered out of that hold really well."

Tikal, who stood right next to the tall, red echidna, couldn't help but smile. "Yes, he has improved greatly, as expected."

The battling blue hedgehog charged again, the golden bracelet on his right wrist rattling.

Suddenly maneuvering into a baseball-slide type fashion, Sonic came at Chaos' legs with tremendous speed, his minds set on sweeping the god off his feet.

The hopes of the idea succeeding came crashing down faster than a penny tossed from the top of the Eiffel Tower when Chaos sprang into the air to avoid the sudden sweep kick.

Cursing, Sonic slammed his right hand onto the ground, the golden bracelet around his wrist rattling slightly due to the loose fit. Sweeping his body around much like a break-dancer would, the hero regained his footing with ease.

Not wasting any time, the speed demon charged again, another quick and easy strategy forming in his mind. Once again using basic tactics, Sonic launched his left fist at Chaos, who ducked out of the way in the nick of time to avoid the attack.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, the on-lookers of the battle holding their breaths before Sonic smirked cockily. Then, in a sudden rush of wind, he disappeared from sight.

"What?" Rouge gasped, fighting the urge to put her hand to her mouth out of shock. "It's just like that time when he fought Algos!"

_Flashback_

_Sonic smirked. "Oh, we'll fight! __**Now**__!"_

_As soon as the blue hedgehog bellowed those words, he and Shadow took off, circling around Argos, who had raised his sand to protect himself from an attack._

_The hedgehog duo kept circling around and around, creating giant gusts of wind all around the area, mixing with the sand and creating a cyclone of sand that shot up and encircled Algos and the two running heroes._

_A sudden, unseen, blow from behind made Algos' eyes widen. _

_He turned around to look at the source of the attack when another attack boomed from in front. _

_The sand hedgehog turned around again only to hear two blows coming from the sides, ones that were very close. So close, he could feel the wind the fists created as they barely missed his body._

_Two simultaneous booms echoed through the air as Shadow and Sonic both broke the sound barrier. _

_More assaults came from the two heroes, causing the stationary Algos to whirl everywhere to try and find the source of the attacks._

_The attacks, whether punches, kicks, or both started to speed up and double in number, sounding like a machine gun was being fired from all the consecutive booms that rang through the air every time Sonic or Shadow attempted a punch at Algos._

_The blue and black flashes suddenly disappeared, startling the sand-manipulating hedgehog and causing him to gasp slightly._

_End Flashback_

It defied his past actions and emotions, but the glazed, emerald eyes of Chaos also widened to some extent at the sudden disappearance of the blue hedgehog.

The position of the hero became painfully clear to the god when a powerful blow came from behind, hitting the watery humanoid directly in the back of the head. Stumbling forward, Chaos' left eye twitched out of pain.

Another boom echoed through the air and this time Chaos saw Sonic's attack coming, yet he still could not stop it.

The smirking blue hedgehog floated right in front of him for a millisecond before his right leg crashed into the god's face.

Stray drops of water shed forcefully off the god's face splattered onto the ground, Chaos struggling to hold his footing after the powerful kick that had just hit him.

Wobbling very uncharacteristically, the destruction lord crashed to the ground when Sonic appeared behind him and slammed his fist into the side of his head.

With two soft pads, Sonic landed on the ground, his knees bent slightly in a traditional-style fighting pose used by many martial-arts masters around the world. A small cloud of dirt and stray grass blades settled with the silhouette of Chaos apparent through the natural smoke screen.

Then, for the first time since the fight started, Chaos took to the offensive, blasting though the cloud of dirt that had settled around him, waves of air dispersing it into the sky.

Sonic's demeanor remained cool and collected as he skillfully blocked the raging god's first punch with his forearm. Overpowering his watery foe, the azure hedgehog shoved Chaos' arm away, taking the opportunity to slam his own fist into the god's torso.

Doubling over, which contrasted greatly to the stereotypical idea that a god could not feel mortal harm, Chaos' knees hit the soft ground of Angel Island.

The speed demon hovered above him and, not willing to let this chance go to waste, drove his knee into the god's chest.

What happened next doubled the size of everyone's eyes on the whole island, with the only exception being Tikal. A short burst of air left the barrier of Sonic's lips, his mouth twisting into a dark scowl, when he found the knee he had just driven into the god's chest to be stuck.

In fact, his leg was starting to be consumed, or absorbed, by Chaos' chest. The water ripped around the leg and knee of the hedgehog as it began sucking it in much like a black hole would suck in light in the vastness of space.

Sonic could've sworn he saw a smirk appear on Chaos' normally emotionless face as the god slowly rose to his feet, making the blue hedgehog in his unorthodox grasp stretch his body forward as to not topple over from the shifting weight.

Emerald met emerald and faster than the cerulean hero could catch, Chaos' watery claw swiped him across his face, sequentially releasing his trapped knee but also sending him flying a few yards back, skidding to a stop in the dirt.

Ignoring the wads of earth and grass that stung at his eyes, Sonic sprung up immediately, his collected composure gone.

Without thinking, the speed demon charged headstrong at the motionless god, his fist extended.

Chaos did not budge an inch as the fist made direct contact, slamming into the god's face. Mimicking a sledge-hammer that went through fiber glass, Sonic's fist crashed through the Chaos' face completely before becoming stuck in its place.

Cursing, the world-renowned hero struggled with great force, attempting to yank his entrapped arm out. All attempts proved to be futile however, as the trapped arm of the hedgehog did not move in the slightest.

The next thing Sonic felt was a hot, searing pain that spread from his stomach, covering his entire body like a raging virus. Unable to stop a few drops of blood from leaving his body, the hero's vision became hazy and littered with small black dots.

Offhandedly, he heard Amy frantically calling his name from the sidelines.

More waves of pain only comparable to someone plunging a knife down his throat hit him and Sonic knew that Chaos had just struck him in his face with tremendous force.

Feeling the wind whipping by his ears, he felt temporary relief wash over him at the fact that he was free from the god's death-trap once again.

Landing on the soft, dew-covered ground with a heavy thud, Sonic blinked furiously in an attempt to clear his blurry vision, instinctively raising his shaking arms up to push his body to a vertical position.

Succeeding in that small attempt, the blue hedgehog thanked his luck that Chaos had not decided to follow up with another flurry of powerful attacks. Immediately spotting the god standing not ten yards from him, he was about to charge again when he caught himself.

_'Wait a second,'_ Sonic contemplated in his mind, his glazed jade eyes never once leaving the hunched-over god's form. _'I'll only get caught in his trap again if I charge him now. There has to be another way...That's it!'_

Taking off, his feet kicking up dirt, water, and grass, Sonic charged again, roaring a loud and thunderous battle cry.

Chaos' eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "_He does not learn, the foolish mortal._"

A ghost of a smirk graced the cobalt hedgehog's lips as he increased his speed, his legs becoming mere dashed lines of tan to the naked eye.

The knees of the awaiting god of destruction bent forward slightly as he readied himself for the imminent collision. With a burst of air, created only by speed, Sonic's left hand darted forward, his palm open.

With a loud smack, the blue hedgehog's open palm slammed into Chaos' chest. A moment of silence past with the god before Sonic not budging an inch. Expecting for his hand to be absorbed again, the azure hero's eyes widened in shock when the god's left claw grasp his attack arm around the wrist.

With strength that seemed almost impossible, the humanoid lifted the blue hedgehog up by the wrist, elevating him so Sonic's face was leveled slightly above his own.

"_You disappoint me, blue hedgehog_," Chaos muttered, his booming voice echoing in Sonic's mind like a giant bell. "_Perhaps you are not ready to know the location of the dark one_."

The cobalt hedgehog's eyes doubled in size.

They knew where Shadow was? So, this was his test to see if he was ready to go after the ultimate life form again? Feeling sudden waves of anger and self-disappointment rush through his body, Sonic grit his teeth.

His eyes narrowed and his muzzle elevated in a disgusted sneer. Whether he liked it or not, what Chaos had just said was completely true. If he could not beat the god here, what chance did he have of beating Mephiles – and possibly – Shadow?

Refusing to prove the god's assumptions correct, Sonic began to gather an attack in his free hand, which up until now had dangled lifelessly by his side.

Feeling the cool waves of energy rush through his body and into his hand, the blue hedgehog felt the steadily growing attack begin to gain in power. A swirling, blue orb of energy was forming in his right hand, its look almost mirroring that of a hurricane.

A loud, almost electrical-sounding, rush echoed through the air, signaling Sonic that his attack had been completed. Feeling the raw power within his grasp, the green eyes of the hero shined with determination.

With a battle cry only comparable to a fierce, ferocious beast, Sonic thrust his arm carrying the newly formed Shining Lance at Chaos' exposed chest. A quick whiz rang through the air as the blue hedgehog's eyes widened slightly.

The god of destruction had caught Sonic's wrist a good foot away from his exposed chest, holding the attack firmly away from his body. The cobalt hero grimaced out of pain when the god increased the pressure of the hold.

"_It still is not enough, blue hedgehog_," Chaos sneered, his voice taunting the speed demon like a constantly buzzing fly circling around his head. "_You have lost...surrender_!"

Amy and Rouge looked away from the grizzly sight of Sonic held in the tight grasp of the god. A feeling of hopelessness washed over them at the sudden realization: Sonic was not ready, the training was in vain.

All of them - Knuckles, Rouge, even Amy – had beaten the god of destruction in some way or form. If Sonic truly could not defeat the guardian here, going after Shadow now would be a lost cause.

"It seems I have over-estimated him," Tikal murmured solemnly, disappointment lacing her voice.

Through grit teeth and closed eyes, in the very depths of his mind, Sonic became momentarily lost within the abyss of his thoughts.

_

* * *

_

It was dark...and cold...so very cold. He was standing there, in the darkness. Yet he was not alone. Standing beside him was a hedgehog that mirrored him exactly, save for the fur colors. The object of his training, the goal to his ambition: Shadow.

_They were standing, their backs facing each other, refusing to look the other in the eye. After a moment of silence, Sonic looked over his shoulder, his expression one of hurt. But, he smiled..._

_...And Shadow smiled back._

_Dark clouds suddenly rushed over everything and another figure became present in the abyss of nothingness. He was cloaked, a pair of white and silver shoes on his feet, and a hood covering his face. But there was one, outstanding feature that Sonic could pick up:_

_The figure's cold, silver eyes._

_Soft thuds echoed through the air, alerting Sonic. Fully turning his body, he saw the cloaked figure slowly floating away from them, out of their grasp. But the thuds did not come from the figure._

_They came from Shadow as he slowly followed it._

_The dark one suddenly stopped, as if unsure of his actions, looking over his shoulder at Sonic. But then, just like a dark thunder cloud, the image of a phantom with venomous green eyes hovered overhead, extending its hand to Shadow._

_Sonic wanted to call out to his friend, but his voice was gone. Nothing he could say or do would change the inevitable. Reaching for Shadow, he felt his heart shatter when the black hedgehog took the hand of the phantom, instantly disappearing._

_Then, rain started to fall upon the solitary blue hedgehog, his tears mixing with those of nature._

* * *

"**NO**!"

Eyes of bystanders as well as the god of destruction himself widened at the sudden outburst of the blue hedgehog within his grasp. Obviously, something within him had snapped and it was clearly shown by his green eyes that seemed aflame with crimson.

Forcing more energy into the still intact Shining Lance in his hand, a pure will of fire burst in his eyes.

"I will not lose to you, or to anyone else that stands in my way!" Sonic spat, the wind of the attack in his hand rushing through his quills, whipping them around furiously.

His eyes narrowed into slits. "I **will **save Shadow!"

"_Your hands and arms are entrapped within my snare_!" Chaos hissed back in retaliation, bombarding the blue hedgehog within his grasp with attempted reason.

A dark smirk arched its way onto the cobalt hedgehog's face. "Yeah, but so are yours!"

"_What?_" Chaos exclaimed, his eyes landing on the Shining Lance that had grown considerably larger than before.

"**Shining Lance**!" Sonic roared, uncurling his fingers and shooting the spinning orb of sapphire energy straight into Chaos' torso with a burst of unnatural wind and energy that shook the entire island to the core.

* * *

Author's Note: The fight between Sonic and Chaos comes to an explosive conclusion! Where will the heroes take it from here? Find out next time in: _Encounter with the Demon of Time!_


	40. Encounter With the Demon of Time

**Chapter 40- Encounter with the Demon of Time**

Waves of icy blue energy whipped around like the tentacles of a giant water monster, lashing at the ground and sky as if it had a vendetta against nature itself. A large spherical burst of white and blue energy erupted from the point of impact between the Shining Lance and Chaos.

Sonic squeezed his right eye shut, the wind created by his attack stinging viciously at his eyes. The red piece of cloth tied to his arm could not withstand the colossal winds and was blown away, landing many yards away somewhere near the Master Emerald shrine.

Feeling air rush through his royal blue fur, the azure hero knew that Chaos had released his grip. The ground smashed against his body and Sonic rolled on the ground like an out-of-control barrel before coming to a stop.

Raising his body up with a push of his arm, the speed demon looked into the direction of his successfully delivered attack.

Out of the bright, whirlwind-like energy that spun above the ground, the god of destruction shot out of it, spinning at unnatural speeds before crashing into a large tree at the edge of the tropical forest, breaking it in half like a mere toothpick.

The energy cyclone that Sonic had created dispersed into the air after a few moments, allowing the hero to take in the destructive results of his assault.

A large trail of unearthed dirt and grass cut across the ground of the island, at least ten feet in width and five feet in depth. The path of destruction lead all the way towards the edge of the forest, where the spinning form of Chaos had just landed.

At least a dozen up-rooted trees and destroyed bushes littered the area, once again clearly marking the path that the god had taken in his collision course with the forest.

Amy, Rouge, Knuckles, and even Tikal herself all stood silently with wide eyes at the destructive force of the attack Sonic had just unleashed upon the god, who the first three were feeling rather sorry for at the moment.

Amy took her eyes off the scene momentarily when something red caught her eye. Bending her knees, wrinkling her red shirt slightly and raising her skirt, the rose hedgehog lifted the red piece of cloth Sonic had worn from the ground.

Examining it with keen eyes, noticing the tears, rips, and wads of dirt that littered it, the pink female stood back to her full height, tightly clutching the piece of cloth in her gloved hand.

Knuckles whistled. "Holy shit! That was a hell of an attack!"

Rouge, her mouth still slightly open, nodded dumbly.

Tikal smiled. "I knew that I could put my faith in the blue hedgehog."

"But didn't you just say that you over-estimated him?" Amy asked skeptically.

"Reverse-psychology does wonders."

Running to the cobalt hero's side, they were relieved to find him standing at his full height once again, patting off the dirt that had settled within his fur and on his finger-less white gloves.

"_Very good, blue hedgehog_," a booming voice congratulated.

Knowing that it must have been Chaos speaking, Sonic's jade eyes focused on the forest marked by his path of unearthed dirt to see the god of destruction stalking out of the river of trees rather nonchalantly.

The blue hero elevated a brow, his eyes growing wide when he saw that the god had a huge gaping hole that consumed his chest and stomach. Seemingly unaffected by the giant hole that was making Sonic's stomach perform flips, the destruction lord stopped before the hero.

Then, like a ripple in a pond where a rock had just been tossed in, the hole closed up, leaving Chaos unscathed.

Sonic's raised brow elevated a few clicks higher. "That's a nice trick."

"Well, blue hedgehog," Tikal interrupted, stepping forward as to not let shock and awe take control of the scene. "Since you have passed, you may now know the location of the dark one."

He had momentarily forgotten about that small detail, but at the mention of Shadow's location being kept a secret from him being brought up again, the blue hedgehog's eyes narrowed as he snapped around to face the echidna princess.

"So, you knew where Shadow was all along?" the speed demon spat with total disrespect, earning him shocked glances from his companions. "Why didn't you tell me before I left?"

Tikal's aquamarine eyes narrowed to match those of the one screaming at her. "We had no knowledge of his location before your departure. It took us at least a year and a half to track down the demon of time's energy signature!"

Knuckles gasped slightly, while Amy and Rouge put gloved hands over their mouths out of shock. Not in the two years of training had they ever seen the docile echidna lose her temper. Yet Sonic sparked it here in mere minutes.

"Besides," the echidna princess hissed, the action totally out-of-character from her usually calm and collected nature. "You were not ready to know. That was what this test was for!"

The azure hero's teeth clenched out of anger, but even though he tried to deny it, what Tikal said was true. He was in no condition to go after Shadow two years ago, neither physically or emotionally. So, bending to the princess' logic, his features calmed.

Bowing his head slightly, Sonic's jade eyes lowered to the ground. "Sorry, princess."

Tikal smiled, once again regaining her docile and kind features. "I can understand the difficulty of this situation for you, blue hedgehog, but you must not let your feelings take control of you. The dark one will most likely have changed...for the worse, so do not expect too much from him."

The cobalt hedgehog raised his head, staring the princess in the eye with a mildly confused look. "You mean...he's become evil?"

The lavender echidna paused slightly before answering. "...No, evil is not a word I would use to describe him now. However, corrupted seems like the fit term."

"Corrupted by what?" Amy asked, her green eyes shinning with curiosity.

Tikal's smile inversed into a frown.

"Corrupted by the lust for power."

* * *

It had been three days since the battle between Chaos and Sonic on Angel Island. Two days ago, the band of heroes, aided by their companions summoned from the Master Emerald, departed the island in their new attempt to find and retrieve Shadow from the clutches of Mephiles.

It took at least an hour for Tikal to convince Knuckles that the Master Emerald was safe from all thieves by the energy barrier she had set up.

Once again, they were walking through a thick, dense forest filled with luscious wildlife and plants. Birds sang, animals scurried, and flowers rustled beneath the footsteps of the group of heroes advancing through nature's garden.

They had been traveling for two days straight, with Tikal leading the way. Breaks were scarce, as Sonic jumped up every five minutes and asked if it was time to go yet. He didn't want to waste time; his only focus was on saving Shadow.

Amy Rose huffed, adjusting the backpack slung around her shoulder with a little heave, "Why does it always have to be a forest, why not a city or at least a place where cars can get through?"

Knuckles, the tall red echidna, eyed the pink female of the group with a hint of annoyance. "Do you really think Mephiles would hide out in a city?"

Rouge tried to ignore her two bickering friends walking behind her, instead trying to focus on the task that was about to present itself. This was their chance, their one shot to save Shadow, bring him back, and beat the living hell out of Mephiles for causing them so much grief.

Looking up ahead, she saw Sonic walking at the same pace as Tikal. He wanted to lead, to go much faster, but he had no idea where their destination was so he was inclined to let the princess lead the way.

He was not wearing the red piece of cloth on his arm anymore. Instead, Amy now had it tied around the same arm Sonic wore it. The blue hedgehog had taken notice to this, but did not ask for it back so she assumed he wanted her to have it.

Trudging behind the group, silent as ever, was the god of destruction, Chaos. Rouge started to drown herself in her own thoughts as she kept walking on, like the action was a mere instinct.

Going by what she had heard, Chaos had caused the extinction and downfall of the echidna race centuries ago. That was probably why Knuckles was still so hostile towards him. But what she did not understand was:

Why did he not hunger for revenge as Shadow did?

The two scenarios were comparable: Knuckles lost his family at the hands of Chaos and Shadow lost his at the hands of his brother, Eclipse.

But, perhaps that was the reason why Shadow lusted for vengeance. Knuckles and Chaos had no close connection, other than both being associated to the echidna race.

However, Eclipse was Shadow's brother. Going by the natural actions and relationships of little and big brother, the ultimate life form probably looked up to the Ark murderer.

His life was shattered and torn so, because it was his own brother that had committed the crime. Perhaps they were not blood brothers, this the bat did not know, but they might as well have been.

When the dark hedgehog had thought that G.U.N. was responsible for the Ark massacre, he hungered for revenge, but not as much as he did now. That was the most logical reason she could come up with to explain why Shadow had become what he has.

Part was because of his family being slaughtered, there was no question about that. But the bigger, larger reason why Shadow truly wanted revenge was that his own brother – the one he had loved and looked up to – betrayed him, stabbed him in the back, and left him to rot.

Rouge broke out of her thoughts suddenly by Sonic whining in a child-like voice.

"Are we there yet?"

The albino bat smiled. That reminded her of the time when they all went against Eggman for the final time.

_Flashback_

"_Are we there yet?" Sonic asked childishly, breaking the silence that loomed over the group like a dragon._

_Amy sighed, "Sonic, when we land on that giant war ship," she pointed to the Egg Carrier III, "We'll be there."_

"_But I'm bored," the sixteen-year old hedgehog whined._

"_Then why don't you go somewhere else?" Knuckles asked, his eyes closed and his arms crossed. His blue friend was starting to annoy him, which was not a good thing considering the echidna's colossal strength. _

"_There's nowhere to go, we're on an airplane!" Sonic yelled back at his crimson companion._

_The red-colored guardian shrugged, "I guess you're just out of luck then."_

"_Shit-head," the blue blur murmured under his breath, lowering his eyes to his lap in order not to catch the guardian's gaze._

_End Flashback_

All those memories, all those things they did together as friends...they seemed so far away now. Even when Rouge had teamed up with Eggman and Shadow for the first time, she still enjoyed working at the black hedgehog's side.

Then, when they all fought Metal Sonic together on the Doctor's airship, it was the pinnacle of their bond – Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Amy, Cream, Big, herself, Shadow, Omega, the Chaotix – they were the perfect team of heroes.

Then Black Doom showed up, giving the ultimate life form a false memory of his past. He had kept the G.U.N. lie going on so that Shadow believed the humans hated him, almost resulting in the destruction of the planet. But why the alien overlord fed the black hedgehog that false tale was beyond her.

After that however, it all started to crumble. Everything that had been happening, everything that had occurred could be traced back to one, single event:

Their first encounter with Mephiles the Dark.

Their adventures in Soleanna were beyond epic. They had saved time itself from collapsing, resulting in the end of everything and anything. Sonic...Shadow...and the newcomer, Silver, had all transformed into the most powerful and angelic beings she had ever laid eyes upon.

Together, they vanquished Solaris, the fusion between the monstrous Iblis and the sinister Mephiles. The events had supposedly been erased from history after that. But then how was Mephiles able to show up and how did he know of all the events?

She offhandedly wondered; since everyone that had been involved in that event had dreams of that memory, would the two heroes from the future – Silver and Blaze – have the knowledge of those events as well?

The shuffling of feet suddenly came to a halt, startling the treasure huntress slightly and snapping her out of her trance-like state of mind. Focusing her eyes upon what was lying ahead of them, they widened slightly.

There, past some trees and bushes, stood a giant, open gateway crafted out of obsidian stone. It was large, reminding the heroes staring at it of the gates to Hades themselves. Large and menacing, with spikes jutting out of the top, it struck fear into the hears of anyone who laid eyes upon it.

The gateway led into pure darkness, untainted by light. Around it was a giant spherical structure shaped much like an open dome. Behind the large, arena-like dome was what looked like to be a mountain, although not as large as most stereotypical mountains were. Perhaps it was elevated five hundred feet in height.

Gulping, Sonic looked at Tikal, asking for silent permission to continue walking. The echidna princess nodded, and slowly, the azure hedgehog started to lift his feet in steady rhythm, proceeding forward with the rest of the group hot on his tail.

First, Sonic's blue-furred body was covered with darkness, then Tikal's, then Knuckles' as they all walked through the gate. Amy and Rouge hesitated for a moment before giving each other reassuring nods and heading in as well, followed by the still-silent Chaos.

* * *

Sonic blinked, his eyes adjusting to the change in brightness. Just a moment ago, he was surrounded by blackness, but now he found himself to be inside of the large dome. Scanning around, he noticed the large black walls that surrounded him on all sides, as well as the large ceiling elevated about two hundred feet above him.

It reminded him of an ancient Roman Coliseum.

Noticing that the others had just appeared behind him, giving them each nod with a turn of his head, he took one step forward when a dark, sinister chuckle made him freeze in his tracks faster than a deer caught in the headlights of a truck.

"Hm, hm, hm, hm. Well, well, well...what do we have here?" the menacing voice taunted.

Minus Chaos and Tikal, the eyes of everyone in the group widened at the frighteningly familiar voice that struck fear into the very depths of their souls. It was unmistakable, this was the right location and that was the right voice.

A bead of sweat ran down the side of Sonic's face. There was no mistaking it. He would recognize that voice anywhere. It was the one that had caused all of this, the one that made Shadow leave everything he had behind for the sake of revenge.

Materializing before them in a curtain of twisting shadows that sprang to life momentarily, a black hedgehog with deathly gray stripes stepped forward, his venomous green eyes burning with twisted amusement. Now fully equipped with a mouth, the phantom smirked darkly.

"Fate can be so cruel," Mephiles the Dark - the demon of time - hissed.

* * *

Author's Note: The heroes finally meet Mephiles! How will things turn out? Find out next time in: _The Chimera Unleashed!_


	41. The Chimera Unleashed

**Chapter 41- The Chimera Unleashed**

It took every ounce of willpower within the blue speed hero not to charge headstrong at the phantom hedgehog at that very moment. Everything about Mephiles enraged Sonic to no end. His voice, his look, his taunting demeanor; absolutely everything.

Through clenched white teeth and narrowed, burning green eyes, the azure hedgehog brought himself to speak instead of just charging at the demon.

"Mephiles."

His voice was a hiss, totally alien when compared to his usually happy and easy-going personality. But after all, it had been two years and there was no way the blue hedgehog didn't change. He was more serious than ever now, he had changed greatly.

The flicker of amusement didn't waver on the features of Mephiles; in fact, it looked like his demonic smirk grew a little. "It's been a while since I've seen you, blue hedgehog. You have changed greatly, I must admit. I really hope you've awakened like I've asked you to."

_Flashback_

_Bending down, the demon of time reached for Shadow's right arm and took a firm grasp of the red and black cuff, yanking it off with a rough tug. The cuff, as well as his glove and golden ring fell to the wet, slippery ground. Ignoring two of the items and only picking up Shadow's golden accessory, Mephiles tossed it over to where Sonic was laying._

_With a few rings and semicircles, the bracelet came to a rest next to the cobalt hedgehog._

"_This should keep you motivated."_

_Summoning another portal directly below him, Mephiles began to sink into it. When he was submerged up to his waist, he reached out and grabbed onto the dead weight of Shadow's arm, yanking him up with abnormal strength and stringing him over his shoulder, reminiscent of how a hunter would cradle his killed prey._

_He looked at the motionless Sonic one more time._

"_Don't disappoint me, idiot. I expect to see you again, but this time with your powers awakened."_

_He was gone._

_End Flashback_

"Shut the hell up," Sonic spat, taking a dominant step towards the black and gray phantom. "Tell me where Shadow is!"

The demon chuckled, his mouth twisting into a fanged grin, showing off rows of dagger-like teeth. "I believe Shadow made it perfectly clear that he had no intention of associating himself with you fools any longer."

"Demon of time," Tikal interjected, moving up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Sonic. "Return the dark one immediately! You know what will happen to this world if you do not."

At the sight of the echidna princess, Mephiles lost all sense of amusement, his mouth twisting into a dark frown. "A replacement? I did not expect to see you here, has one of them died after all?"

The lavender female's eyes narrowed, totally ignoring the demon's question. "You should know the consequences of your actions, demon of time. I sensed your energy signature multiple times, but did not deem you a threat in need of disposal. I can see now that I was mistaking."

That sinister, hellish grin appeared on Mephiles' face once again. "Indeed you were, fool."

"Enough," Knuckles cut in, raising his right fist up to eye-level. "We came here for the black hedgehog! Now, hand him over and I won't beat you another face."

The ghostly demon chuckled once again. "Your confidence exceeds your abilities, guardian."

"Why you--" the crimson warrior hissed before he was cut off by Sonic, who raised a hand signaling for him to stop.

Complying, the Master Emerald guardian crossed his arms over his powerful chest with a huff, snapping his head to the side like an annoyed child.

"I'll ask you this one more time," the cobalt speed demon spat, the hands at his sides tightening into fists slowly. "Where's Shadow? Tell me!"

Mephiles' eyes landed on the fuming blue hedgehog, his maniacal grin dying down. "And if I don't?"

Sonic's head snapped up, his eyes burning with hatred and distaste. "**I'll beat it out of you**!"

The phantom's eyes narrowed into slits when the blue hedgehog took off at break-neck speeds, sending up pressurized waves of air behind him. Amy reached out a hand in a feeble attempt to stop her hero from fighting the demon, the one that had disposed of Shadow so easily two years ago, in vain.

Mephiles ducked in the nick of time to avoid a powerful first swing by the blue hedgehog, feeling the wave of air following the unsuccessful blow roll over above him. With lightning fast speed, the demon lunged forward and drove his fist into Sonic's tan stomach.

Dark green eyes widened slightly when the azure hero in front of his disappeared into thin air. Not only that, but even though he saw that he had hit him, Mephiles felt absolutely no contact being made.

Realizing this fact too slow, a sharp pain erupted from the back of his head. Stumbling forward in order to keep his balance, the demon hissed out of pain, whipping around to see Sonic standing before him, not an ounce of mercy glinting within his eyes.

Then, the blue hedgehog charged headstrong at the demon once again.

Taking no regard to the previous event, Mephiles charged forward again, raising his elbow up and driving it into the blue hedgehog's stomach. Once again, no sensation of physical contact rattled his senses, informing the phantom that once again the blue hedgehog had eluded him.

Just like the time before, pain shot though his being as he stumbled forward, obviously once again hit in the back by Sonic, who was using some kind of technique to create replications of himself.

Spinning around, he saw the azure hedgehog speeding towards him again. Deciding not to just stand and wait for the imminent blow that was about to come, Mephiles charged forward as well, his speed rivaling Sonic's.

Jumping into the air, the demon swung his leg at the blue hedgehog, who in turn ducked to avoid the frontal attack, stopping himself by slamming his hand onto the ground and performing an elegant back-flip to put some distance between the two.

Mephiles' eyes glinted.

Why had the hedgehog avoided his attack that time, unlike the other two? He had hit mirror-like images of the cobalt hero the last two times but this time it was the real one.

With a dark smirk, the phantom unraveled the secret of Sonic's technique, his eyes falling upon the speed demon.

Once again, the speed hero ran forward and incredible speed towards the phantom.

Deciding to test it out one more time, Mephiles charged again, this time driving his knee into the cobalt hedgehog's gut. The empty feeling of coming into contact with nothing once again sprang forth from his touch.

Eyes glinting, the demon of time performed a full three hundred-sixty degree spin, his fist launching forward. A dark smirk spread across his features when he felt his fist come into contact with something.

Feeling a few stray drops of blood splatter onto his fur, Mephiles withdrew his fist, with Sonic doubling over in pain before him, landing on his knees.

Amy shrieked out of outrage from seeing her hero hurt, attempting a mad dash towards him had Rouge not held him back.

"Amy," the ivory bat whispered into her ear. "Leave Sonic alone, he has to do this by himself."

"I've figured out your little trick," Mephiles taunted, reeling his leg back before slamming it into Sonic's face, sending the blue hedgehog flying back onto the ground a couple of feet.

The cobalt hero coughed out of pain, thankful for the fact that the demon made no move to advance towards him.

Instead, he preferred to map out Sonic's entire strategy that he had just used. "You build up speed and momentum, creating a temporary mirror image of yourself. However, I have found the one flaw in that technique."

The super-sonic hero warily stood to his full height, recollecting himself as Mephiles continued. "You must stay in a linear path to create an image. Otherwise, you lose speed, making the replication impossible. Therefore, the only place you can end up at is right behind me."

Sonic's green eyes widened slightly at the pinpoint analysis the phantom had just made about his technique. But the worst part, by far, was that he was absolutely right. In order for the mirror image to work, he had to keep straight, making his position obvious to someone who had figured it out.

A sudden image of Shadow flashed across the blue hero's mind, washing away all self-doubt he had. There was no going back, they had come so far. There was no way he was leaving empty-handed this time.

He had made a promise that he intended on keeping. The only thing standing between Shadow and himself was this green-eyed demon of time. And he would be damned if he was going to get beat here!

"Don't you know?" Sonic asked quietly, his voice almost a whisper, catching Mephiles' attention as well as everyone else's.

"I made a promise two years ago that I intend on fulfilling today." With each word, his voice rose higher and higher. "Shadow is lost in the darkness and I am his light. Not you or anyone else will stand in my way." By now his voice was a mighty roar, which only elevated to a yell during the next phrase. "**Shadow is my friend and I will not let you have him**!"

With a burst of abnormal energy, the blue-furred hero charged, his intentions clear as the sky above them. Picking up speed, Sonic accelerated until he reached the speed necessary to perform the mirror technique.

Mephiles' eyes narrowed at the charging hedgehog. "You just don't learn, do you?"

Raising his hand high into the air, angled so it looked like he was about to chop Sonic's head clean off, it came down like a mighty sword, hitting the blue hero directly in the neck. Feeling that he had not hit anything, he spun around again, his vision picking up another blue hedgehog.

Realizing that this was the real one, the demon drove his right fist into the cobalt hedgehog's face with all of his might, smirking darkly. That blow was a life-ending one, the fight was over!

Green eyes widened to twice their size when the image of the blue hero disappeared, the strange feeling of punching air once again waving through his body. How was this possible? That wasn't the real Sonic!

"Up here," a voice from above him hissed. That and the shadow looming above him tipped Mephiles off to the fact that the blue hedgehog had somehow managed to bring himself directly above him.

Raising his head, eyes still as wide as plates, all he saw was the blue hedgehog above him swing down his leg at such speed that it hurt the eye to follow. With a sickening crash, Sonic drove the heel of his foot into the back of Mephiles' head.

"**Kagami**!"

The pain of the delivered attack was clearly written out on the demon's face as clear as words on paper, but surprisingly shock also littered his features. He was certain that he had found the secret to the blue hedgehog's petite little technique, so why was he hit?

Slamming onto the ground like nothing more than a discarded newspaper, Mephiles grimaced before summoning a shadow portal below his body. The small black portal just big enough for himself enveloped him like darkness would the sky at night.

No sooner had the portal appeared, it vanished into the air, leaving room for Sonic to hit the ground with a soft thud, his eyes focused and unblinking as he searched for his enemy.

"That surprised me, blue hedgehog," a dark voice snickered in the distance.

Locating the phantom immediately by the sound of his voice, the blue hedgehog spun around completely. Standing about twenty feet away from him was Mephiles, once again recollected.

"Coward!" Sonic spat, his normally peaceful green eyes aflame with anger. "Hiding in your shadows like that! Are you afraid to fight?"

The demon of time chuckled darkly, raising an index finger to chest level and waving it. "Cowardice is not defined as conducting a strategic battle, blue hedgehog. Cowardice is the lack of ability to take part in the battle, as your friends are over there."

The azure hedgehog didn't turn around to acknowledge who Mephiles was referring to, it was plainly obvious. Seeing this, the phantom continued, lowering his hand. "But your sudden change in that technique did intrigue me. How was it done?"

Seeing no harm as to telling him how the technique worked and confident that he couldn't stop it even if he knew how to, Sonic replied. "It was simple. I created two mirror images, one in the front and one in the back. After I created the one in the back, I jumped above you."

The phantom hedgehog chuckled. "Ah, so you used the speed you had gained after jumping over me to create another mirror image. Clever, but due to the loss of built-up speed, the replication wouldn't have lasted long.

The sea-colored hedgehog glared at the demon. "I didn't need a long time."

"But you must know," Mephiles replied, his voice laced with evil and dark intentions. "Your victory and success here is irrelevant. Even if you were to defeat me here and now, I am timeless!"

Sonic smirked, the dark look totally out of character for him. "Well, let's see if you can withstand my trump card!"

The phantom chuckled for what seemed like the tenth time since the meeting. "What would that be? Another pathetic replication technique, I suppose. Perhaps you should let those two women fight the battles for you!"

Clenching his hands into fists, his fingerless gloves giving off the soft sound of cloth rubbing together, the super-sonic hero's expression fell from one of arrogance to concentration. Closing his eyes slowly, his teeth clenched together. Staying in a statue-like state, waves of a luminescent golden aura began to wave off the hero's body like steam from water.

Amy gasped at the sight of the sudden burst of golden energy, not able to withstand the habit of putting a hand to her mouth out of shock.

"I-Is that the Super form?" the pink hedgehog stuttered with wide green eyes.

A smile, what could have almost been a smirk, arched its way onto Tikal's lips as she observed with quiet reservation.

"No, it is the power of the Chimera!"

_

* * *

_

A giant mirror that shrouded out everything else stood before the blue hedgehog. He was still, not stirring one inch as his eyes raised towards the glass, dwarfed by its immense size.

_Hesitantly gazing into the mirror, he saw nothing but his own, fear-filled reflection. There was nothing else in this corner of his mind, only the giant mirror._

_Through the complete, painfully quiet silence, a crack rang through the air as clear as day. Looking up, the blue hedgehog saw a large, diagonal, zigzag crack on the center of the mirror._

_Waves of shadows rolled over Sonic's face as a small smile graced his lips._

"_**So, have you finally decided to wield my powers**__?" _

_The thunderous voice boomed from behind the large mirror. It was loud and commanding, otherworldly almost. The voice could be compared to that of Chaos', only increased a hundred-fold._

_Sonic had heard it many times but it always startled him a little. A small jump from the blue hedgehog was triggered by the sudden roar of the voice but he managed to regain his collected nature. The pure power and superiority that voice held sent waves of shivers up the hero's spine._

_Gazing up, past the crack in the mirror, Sonic saw the yellow silhouette of a giant beast, a thousand times his own size on the other side of the mirror, staring him straight in the eyes. A beat passed, then a steady stream of yellow energy flowed from the beast and out of the crack in the mirror, towards the legendary hero._

"_Yes," Sonic answered, feeling the hot power of the legendary beast of energy beginning to swirl around him like wildfire. _

_Then, in a burst of gold, waves of energy and power swept from the crack in the mirror towards him, slithering around him like a snake and enveloping him. Sonic felt at ease, the raw power now burning within his body._

_He felt invincible, he felt unconquerable. He was the fifth incarnation, the wielder of energy, the commander of the Chimera._

* * *

In a burst of unnatural light and energy, Sonic's body became submerged in gold. His fur and eyes remained their same colors as before, but a brilliant golden aura settled around his body almost like a shield. It outlined his body to the fingertip perfectly on all sides of his body.

"Stage zero," Amy heard Tikal mumble from beside her. A small amount of recognition fluttered in the pink hedgehog's mind. She had seen that transformation somewhere before.

But no more thinking was necessary for Sonic as the flaming, yellow shield-like energy around him morphed into something much more complex.

The energy that had settled around his head twisted and turned until it came into the shape of an animal head that closely resembled that of a mighty lion. Then, faster than a bolt of lightning, a large, twisting tale made up out of the same energy sprung from the back of the aura near Sonic's spines.

It seemed like a regular lion's tail at first, but upon further inspection one could see the snapping head of a viper on the tip of the tail. It was the trade-mark sign of the Chimera: A beastly lion with vipers for tails.

"Stage one."

The fifth incarnation's eyes snapped open, now a brilliant gold and wide with power and fury as they landed dead on Mephiles, who incredibly had not moved at all and stared the blue hedgehog down with the same quiet fury.

"I see…" the time demon muttered under his breath. "He has unlocked the first stage."

The phantom hedgehog paused slightly as Sonic's back arched forward to give him a more animalistic appearance. "This might prove more difficult than I thought."

Then, with a sudden roar closely resembling one heard from the type of animal-outline that had settled around his body, Sonic charged forward, his green eyes glistening with murderous intent.

* * *

_Sonic has unleashed the Chimera and the fight between Mephiles and Sonic begins! Be sure to check back **tomorrow**, when Chapter 42 entitled: Where Are You? gets posted!_


	42. Where Are You?

**Chapter 42- Where are You?**

Barely managing to evade the first powerful swipe from the fifth incarnation's unleashed first form, Mephiles stumbled backwards rather clumsily. A moment not even worth a breath later, Sonic charged again, the golden Chimera outline that had settled around his body like a package swirling madly.

This time his wild swipe hit its target dead-on. The demon of time crashed to the ground below him with a resounding thud, his body rolling over a few times before coming to a stop.

With furious green eyes, Mephiles spotted the blue hero charging again, barely managing to call upon his powers to sink into a dark void before Sonic's fist put a dent in the ground where he had previously been laying.

'_It seems that he has not grasped full control of the first form yet_,' the phantom hedgehog concluded as he reappeared out of the dark ink he had summoned that much resembled a black puddle on the ground.

Taking notice to the powered-up hedgehog twisting his head around madly, his wide green eyes landing on Mephiles, the demon drew back his hand, ebony swirls of power beginning to rotate within his palm.

With a determined glare, Sonic shot after the demon again, charging on two feet; unlike four like he previously had, and summoned his own aura of energy within his hand, only it was a deep sapphire. A rush of newly surfaced adrenaline flooded through the speed demon and with one powerful bend of his knees, he was high in the air, way above everyone else including Mephiles.

Almost reaching the giant hole on the top of the large dome, Sonic shot back down with an arch of his body, the newly formed Shining Lance drawn behind him. Mephiles, letting pride steer him and having lost all sense of caution, shot into the air straight for Sonic, his newly formed attack swirling behind him as well.

The scene that closely resembled the physical clash between good and evil; light and dark, drew over the scene like a rising curtain on a theater stage. The five observers of the fight stood completely still, watching the clash unfold in awe, even Chaos showed signs of interest.

Then, quicker than a sharp breath, faster than a bolt of lightning dancing gracefully across the night sky; Mephiles, the demon of time and Sonic, the fifth incarnation, clashed.

"Shining Lance!"

"Nightmare Lance!"

A thunderous boom echoed through the Roman-style dome that someone had erected there, followed by waves upon waves of blue and black energy swirling and twisting off the point of collision like giant serpents of destruction.

Then, with another loud crash, both fighters were thrown backwards at incredible speeds, with both hitting either side of the large dome, the waves of swirling energy disappearing with its sources.

Sonic gasped out of pain, his yellow eyes widening as he hit the smooth, rocky surface of the structure with his back. Arching it instinctively, a few clots of blood left his wide open mouth before gravity took effect and he slumped down the wall, the energy shield around him having taken most of the damage from the impact.

Mephiles would have hit the wall with equal force, bringing him as much pain as the blue hedgehog had just experienced, had he not summoned a dark portal at the exact spot where his body would have made impact.

Seemingly swallowed by the hedgehog-sized hole, just big enough for him to fit into, the demon of time disappeared, the void he had summoned following suite soon afterwards.

"That bastard!" Knuckles spat, his violet eyes aflame with anger. "He summoned a portal to avoid the impact!"

A dark chuckle rang through the air, and fast enough for even Sonic to be caught off guard, Mephiles emerged from the ground behind Knuckles, who stood there with ghostly wide eyes.

Spinning around, the crimson echidna swung his massive fist wildly at the demon, only to come into contact with air. Catching a sudden breath, the warrior heard Mephiles mutter the next set of words from right over his shoulder.

"Perhaps the bystanders should die first!"

A twisting, flaming pain shot through the guardian's body like an out-of-control wild fire before he fell to his knees. Gasping as blood left his mouth and nose, Knuckles made a last attempt to harm the phantom by spinning around and sweeping his leg over the ground.

Cursing as he felt the lack of physical contact yet again, a bead of sweat ran down his brow when he heard a female scream, a scream that could only belong to Amy Rose.

Whirling around, he felt his body ice over when he saw Mephiles standing dominantly over them all with a sixteen-year old pink hedgehog in his grasp. Amy screamed again when the phantom tightened his grip around her and that was when Knuckles came to the horrid discovery that the demon's fingers were wrapped around her delicate throat.

"How worthless," Mephiles spat, eying the rest of them as he ignored the struggling female in his grip. "Two years worth of training and the blue hedgehog was the only one with results. I was wise to choose Shadow over the rest of you."

No one was prepared for what happened next. During his small speech, Mephiles had summoned a glowing black orb of energy in his hand and now was pointing it directly into Amy's face, highlighting her horrified expression.

"You stand there, cowering like frightened children, wailing in self-pity and agony," Mephiles hissed, his slitted green eyes staring at each of them as if he was looking directly into their souls. "Life is a gift giving to those that posses strength, the weak need to be weeded out!"

"You're wrong," another voice boomed. Knuckles and Rouge gasped when they saw what had happened.

In the small pause between his talk, Sonic had reappeared on the scene, the form of the Chimera still swirling around his body viciously. His golden eyes were aflame and every pit of his consciousness had been returned to him.

"Without them, I would be nothing! They're like a puzzle that holds the key to my happiness. And you, Mephiles," he hissed, spitting the name of the demon out like a bad piece of meat, "Have stolen one of those pieces!"

Mephiles' eyes narrowed at the fifth incarnation standing not ten feet from him, his grip of Amy softening slightly. "Pieces to happiness? Your words are drenched with stupidity and weakness, blue hedgehog. Bonds make you weak; leave you as fragile as a single leaf in a storm. This is what Shadow realized before he abandoned you!"

Sonic snapped.

The taunting, the sneering of the demon had driven him over the edge that held back the pools of his anger and recklessness.

Taking no heed to the pink hedgehog within the phantom's grasp, the Chimera-infused hedgehog charged at lightning-fast speed, ramming his energy-covered elbow directly into the black and gray hedgehog's torso with commanding force.

Amy fell from his grasp, threatening to hit the ground had Sonic not reached out and roughly grabbed the rosette female by the shoulder. With otherworldly strength, the girl was hoisted into the air before being launched towards the on-looking Knuckles with a shriek.

The bewildered red echidna caught the pink female launched at him like a football, both of them tumbling to the ground in a messy heap of red and pink fur and entangled limbs.

Making a mental side note of Amy's safety, Sonic charged forth again - with Mephiles still not having recovered from his previous blow – and rammed into the phantom hedgehog again, this time with his knee.

The demon of time's green eyes widened out of pain as he doubled over to the ground, landing on his knees. Drops of scarlet left his mouth and before he had any kind of chance to retaliate or dodge out of the way, Sonic lifted him up by the neck, raising him to eye-level.

'**So, this is the demon of time**?' Sonic heard the Chimera chuckle from behind its large iron gate of restraint. '**He does not seem to be on par with your first released stage**.'

Ignoring the taunting voice in his mind that belonged to the fifth ancient beast, the blue hero slammed his mighty fist into Mephiles' chest, sending the ghostly hedgehog flying backwards at high velocity and speed.

Not even considering the possibility to give the space-manipulating hedgehog a breather, the speed demon charged forth again, ignoring the shouts of Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy telling him to calm himself down.

No, he would not calm himself. Not after what had happened, not after what Mephiles had caused. The sheer pain that the demon had inflicted upon them was more than enough to serve as the fuel to his overwhelming rage.

He was a hell-bent creature straight out of the dark depths themselves. The golden vortex of lion-shaped energy swam around him madly. Nothing but murder and anger glinted in his eyes as he reached Mephiles and drove his fists into his stomach again and again.

He ignored the grunts of pain – sometimes the gasps – and continued the merciless assault. It seemed so out-of-character for the usually cheerful and easy-going hero to be beating someone, even as evil as Mephiles, into the ground without hesitation.

Amy felt tears well up in her eyes, glossing them over with an eerie shine as she quietly observed her hero going berserk. She had freed herself from Knuckles and now stood side-by-side with the echidna, watching the pummeling.

When Mephiles had caught her, she had frozen up. Like a mere damsel in distress, she could do nothing to save herself. Once again, it was Sonic that had to come to the rescue. Slowly, she was beginning to think that the demon was actually right.

'_How worthless...'_

"It has to be the Chimera," Rouge mumbled to herself.

Tikal over-heard the bat and shook her head solemnly. "With two years of training and the ability to think straight, the first form is not enough to cause major personality changes. This anger," she whispered, still staring at the gruesome beating Sonic was giving Mephiles, "Is flooding from the blue hedgehog's own heart."

Then, as fast as Sonic had started his assault, it ceased and Mephiles dropped to the ground with a thud, a beaten and bloody mess before disappearing into one of his dark portals.

The blue hedgehog that had previously towered above made a weak attempt to calm his rage, to ease his anger. It was in vain. The mere mention of Shadow from Mephiles' lips drove him into a fighting frenzy.

As quick as Mephiles had disappeared, the demon once again graced the scene with his dark aura, appearing about fifty feet away from Sonic.

Breathing in heavy, ragged breaths that pained him, the phantom wearily let the waves of pain striking his body subside. His blurry vision cleared and he spotted the fifth incarnation standing there in silence.

"_I have no other choice_," Mephiles thought solemnly, feeling a raw, new power burning within him.

With a burst of purple and black energy, the demon of time transformed, catching everyone's attention at an instant.

His body glossed over into a new, crystalline-looking state, giving him the eerie appearance of a statue carved out of a fine rock.

Where his fur was once black, it was now a dark shade of purple, almost violet. Where it was a ghostly gray, it was now a frosty shade of blue much contrasting to the other color that donned his body.

The hover shoes that mimicked Shadow so much were gone, replaced by two steaming, tipped ends of icy blue that mimicked the ends of two spears. His white gloves had turned into the same color as the heavy purple that was set upon him with a mix of blue and the tips of his fingers were now clawed.

The eyes that were so striking and intimidating before were now a much more nightmarish mix of colors. The green of his eyes had lightened so much that it looked almost neon and where white once occupied his eyes, there was now a bloody red.

Unlike his previous transformations however, he retained his mouth and nose. Waves upon waves of purple and ebony energy that closely resembled smoke rolled off his body.

Alarmed by the sudden – and massive – power increase, Sonic snapped his head to his on-looking comrades. "Get out of here!"

Shock washed over everyone's faces at the blue hedgehog's sudden and firm command. Even Tikal could not withhold the surprise that she had felt from the sudden statement.

"No way!" Amy protested, her jade eyes hardening. "There's no way we're leaving you here!"

"And besides," Rouge added, backing her friend up, "Where are we suppose to go?"

Knuckles sighed. "Isn't it obvious?"

The pink hedgehog of the group blinked twice before responding. "No."

Putting a gloved hand to his forehead, the deep red echidna growled slightly out of frustration. "Sonic wants us to go look for Shadow."

He heard both Rouge and Amy gasp out of surprise. Barely managing to hold back a roll of his eyes at their naïve attitudes, he turned to Tikal and Chaos, who both simply nodded in agreement.

Taking one quick glance at his powered up comrade, the guardian of the Master Emerald nodded to himself and took off past Mephiles and into the gate opposite the one they had entered upon arriving.

Soon after, both Tikal and Chaos sprinted after the guardian, also disappearing within the abyss of the gate. Gulping, Rouge took off as well, with Amy hot on her heels, her pony tail bouncing side-to-side in rhythm with her mad dash.

Mephiles, having been utterly surprised at the sudden escape, mentally scowled himself that he let the two echidnas and the god past him without any kind of trouble. Catching a glance of the two females also trying to escape and determined not to let them, he appeared in front of them in a whiz of air, the black and purple energy still rolling off his body.

"Now, now," the demon taunted with a raised finger. "That's very un-lady like, running out on a meeting without saying goodbye."

"Trip and die, you freak!" Amy screamed back at the crystal-resembling hedgehog, some of her nervousness and fear having left her.

Mephiles chuckled at the sudden outburst of the rosette female and took an intimidating step towards both girls, making them back up a step.

No sooner had Amy and Rouge's feet landed on the ground, Sonic appeared before them, his arms raised at his sides in a protective manner to block them from the approaching demon.

"Leave them out of this," the fifth incarnation spat, the golden aura around him swirling and twisting viciously.

Looking back slightly and giving them a nod, meaning ,_'Go ahead, I got this',_ both the albino bat and the pink hedgehog took off towards the gate, disappearing within the darkness on their new mission to find Shadow in the dark and mysterious layer.

* * *

_The search for the traitorous Shadow begins! Check back next week for Chapter 43!_


	43. The New Attack! Titan Lance!

Author's Note: I've recently been considering creating a forum for this story, but don't know if people would actually use it or if it would just be a wasted effort on my part. I've created a poll in my profile, so be sure and vote or tell me in your reviews! Enough votes for "Yes" will get the forum created!

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* * *

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**Chapter 43: The New Attack! Titan Lance!**

Mentally reassuring himself that Amy and Rouge were out of harm's way, Sonic redirected his fiery glare full-blast at the transformed Mephiles, who stood rather silently before him, his head cocked to the side like a curious child.

"So...they have gone to look for Shadow?" Mephiles asked, the strange sense of childish curiosity filling into his voice as well.

Not seeing any harm in doing so, and already knowing that there was no way he could catch up to them now, the fifth incarnation nodded slightly.

The crystalline hedgehog chuckled darkly, his slitted green eyes flashing through the crimson they were surrounded by. "You should understand this, blue hedgehog; Shadow will not return with you."

The azure hero's eyes narrowed at an instant at Mephiles' taunting words. Catching the slight change in the hedgehog, the demon smirked lightly and continued. "Shadow came to me on his own accord. He knew that I would give him the power he so desperately desired. All you were doing was holding him back."

A second's time would have been an insult to the speed demon to describe how fast he charged at Mephiles. The hard, rocky surface itself that both fighters stood upon crumbled under the force of the ferocious charge.

The form of the Chimera twisted over his body madly and Sonic was sure that he heard the ancient, mythical creature screaming at him to chop the demon of time's head clean off his shoulders.

But, thanks to the new and incredible power increase that Mephiles had just gone under, the tackling charge was dodged with relative ease. Jumping into the air with an eerie sense of balance and grace, the phantom landed behind the enraged blue hedgehog.

Lifting his crystalline hand up so that it was parallel with the ground he stood upon, Mephiles summoned his own powers to shoot at the fifth incarnation.

"Nightmare Lance."

A giant funnel of swirling violet and obsidian energy exploded from the demon's palm the instant he so indifferently said those two words. Barely managing to dodge the beam of energy, Sonic barrel-rolled to the side just as the attack crashed into the ground he stood upon, shooting up rock and debris.

Green eyes widened slightly to see that a hole had been blasted into the ground, at least ten feet deep and five feet wide. There was no doubt in his mind now that Mephiles' power had increased at least three-fold.

Standing to his full height again, he felt the Chimera within him give out an angry burst of rage at Sonic's display of carelessness.

Ignoring the creature within him that was throwing somewhat of a small tantrum, the azure hero charged again, the viper tail made of golden energy behind him lashing around behind him.

Sun-mimicking eyes gleamed with a hint of blood lust as Sonic appeared before the transformed Mephiles, swiping his hand out with the full intention of chopping the demon's head clean off his shoulders.

The shadow-manipulator smirked slightly before sinking into a small black hole he had created and out of harm's way. Something in Sonic's eyes flashed, he had felt a burst of chaos energy when Mephiles disappeared.

Remaining collected even though his enemy was outside of his visual range, the fifth incarnation straightened out, rolling his shoulders as his viper tail swiped the ground in anger, creating a small gash in the hard rock.

Feeling a sudden gust of air, the azure hero ducked his head just in time to see an oddly colored fist fly by overhead. Taking the opportunity to exploit the position Mephiles was in; Sonic latched one hand around the phantom's wrist while the other reached behind him and grabbed him under the arm.

With a mighty heave, Sonic threw the demon of time over his head as if he weighed nothing more than a piece of crumbled up paper. A small gasp of surprise left Mephiles' lips and the cobalt speed demon fought the small urge to smirk before he quickly gathered a Shining Lance in his gloved hand.

With Mephiles still up-side-down in the air before him, Sonic lunged forward with his bright azure attack swirling madly before him like a small sapphire hurricane.

'_Shit_!' Mephiles cursed mentally.

He was caught in a very vulnerable position and he knew it was no accident. Mid-air was not a good place for someone who manipulated darkness and shadows to be. If he did not have at least one of his body parts on the ground, he could not escape and it was apparent that the blue hedgehog had figured this out as well.

A strange sense of relief washed over the demon's body when he felt his hand come into contact with the ground. Hastily summoning upon his powers, he dived into it like it was a bottomless, black pool of water.

Sonic felt a strange pulse ripple through his body. It was like a rock was thrown into a pool of ink, which rippled once and brought forth light. He knew this feeling, this sense of feeling a small pulse of energy.

It was the same feeling he had last time Mephiles disappeared into one of his shadows.

Stopping himself in mid-charge, the Shining Lance still swirling in his hand, although having calmed down some, his green eyes scanned the surrounding for any sign of Mephiles. Then, with a sudden sense of urgency, the blue hero slammed the spinning orb of azure energy into the ground.

Ripples of energy and rock coursed from the point of impact like waves, spreading through the ground like spilled ink onto a blank sheet of white paper.

Large walls of light brown dust shot from the cracks under the stone as Sonic straightened out; blue remnant sparks of his Shining Lance still coursing through the ground.

"Such a fool," Mephiles hissed as he floated back to touch onto the ground softly with two taps. He had taken refuge in the sky with an abnormal leap a millisecond before the blue hedgehog had driven his attack into the ground, observing the display of power with mild interest.

The demon's mouth arched into a dark smirk. "Why power is wasted on an idiot like you is beyond me, blue hedgehog. You could have simply absorbed the power you put into that attack back into your body, but chose to act like a spoiled child and slam a few things around. I pity the Chimera."

Sonic instantly felt a surge of rage course through his body, one that was not his own. '**How dare that pathetic creature mock my ability to choose a host? If we only had a closer connection, I would tear that demon apart myself!**'

_'Calm down_,' Sonic replied mentally, trying to coo the raging creature still locked safely behind its restraints. It seemed to work because he felt the waves of pulsing anger leave as cool calmness washed over him.

Not wanting to give the demon a chance to formulate an attack plan, the blue hero charged once again, a loud battle cry echoing from his lungs that intertwined with that of the mighty Chimera within him. Mephiles scoffed, getting into a battle stance and awaiting the azure speed demon with a quiet fury, waves of violet and black energy still rolling off his body and dispersing into the air.

Then, the two hedgehogs clashed.

Kicks, punches, and curses were slung from one to the other as they both got into a rhythm of attacking, blocking, and ducking. It could have been compared to a flawless orchestra playing beautiful music without a single slip or mistake.

Both warriors had the agility of leopards, the sheer gracefulness of swans, and the hidden fury of tigers. Not one step was off, not one punch was without full aim or power. Not one kick made the one who used it waver or quiver, not one dodge was without the fullest of grace.

Like it was somehow rehearsed, the brutal physical conflict raged between the fifth incarnation, Sonic the Hedgehog, who was doing all of this for the sole purpose of rescuing a friend and the demon of time, the one who guided the friend of the blue hedgehog down the path to darkness and revenge.

Then, both panting and sweating profusely, they broke apart as fast as they had clashed.

Sonic landed in a crouched position, one fingerless gloved hand on the ground to support himself from teetering over, the other slung at his side, the ring on his wrist rattling slightly. Cuts and bruises littered his body from the physical confrontation and his head was low although his yellow eyes were still solely focused on the phantom hedgehog in front of him.

Mephiles landed with both of his speared feet firmly on the ground, panting slightly and ignoring a deep line of blood running down the side of his face, originating from a large gash on his forehead. His arms were hung lifelessly at his side and his head was low as well, though his demonic eyes were still focused on the fifth incarnation before him.

With a jerk of his head, the cobalt hero spat some blood from his mouth, the small amount of red liquid splattering to the stony floor he stood upon. Ignoring the searing pain throbbing through his left arm as a result from a large, open gash, he charged, headstrong.

Mephiles' eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the hero running towards him. It seemed to him that in the beginning of the battle the hedgehog fought with his brain more than two years ago, but seeing him as he was now, he knew that he was sadly mistaken.

"Such a fool," Mephiles murmured, disgusted at the small fact he had just learned about Sonic. Two years really didn't do anything for him at all.

Ducking under a swinging fist of the sapphire hedgehog clad in golden armor of energy, the demonic hedgehog scoffed once more. "You really are pathetic, blue hedgehog. First, Shadow beats you within an inch of your life..."

He rolled out of the way of Sonic's kick, ignoring the fact that he could have delivered a counter-blow with the small opening it created.

"...Then he spared your life on an account you do not know of. After that, you train for two years, trying to bring him back when he obviously has no will to do so and still have that lack of raw power you need to defeat me...or him..."

"Shut up!" Sonic spat, attempting to knee the phantom in the gut, but only coming into contact with air for what seemed like the hundredth time today.

Mephiles had simply jumped back a few feet to avoid the attack, that taunting look still glinting within his eye.

"...You're worthless..."

The azure hero sped forward like a raging bull, the shield of Chimera-shaped golden energy around him swirling around viciously, obviously angered along with its user. With a blind flurry of punches and kick, all of which missed by mere inches, the crystalline hedgehog jumped back a few feet again to simply avoid the thoughtless onslaught.

"...You're overrated..."

The blue hedgehog's breath was raged as he attempted to calm himself, to ignore the stabbing of the demon's words in his ears. But all his efforts and plans to reason with himself snapped once Mephiles said the next set of words, dripping with malice.

"...But above all else, you're a moron."

Sonic froze.

"_Don't flatter yourself moron..."_

"_The moron is right for once, we should send two..."_

"_Shut up moron..."_

"_Fine, but don't mess this up you moron..."_

"_Don't kid yourself, moron..."_

"_You're...late...moron..."_

"_What did you do that for, moron?..."_

"_It's good that we haven't been attacked, moron..."_

"_Hey...moron..."_

"_Moron…"_

"_Moron…"_

"_Moron…"_

…

…

"…_Sonic."_

That word...it was not his to speak. That one, single, almost insignificant word was not worthy to be rolled off the tongue of that demon. Only one person on this planet had the right to call him that. Mephiles saying it enraged him to no end.

His clenched fists quivered in fury, his entire body shaking.

He was the only one to call him that. It was his word, no on else's. Not Knuckles', not Amy's, not Rouge's, and especially not Mephiles'.

Sonic's head snapped up, his eyes aflame with pure, unrestrained anger. Mephiles had crossed the threshold with that last insult, that last straw to break the camel's back, the last drop of water to overflow the dam.

Faster than he could realize – or even hope to realize – what he was doing, the azure hero felt a concentrated fire beginning to burn in his right palm. Bright blue light began to emit from his open palm, the warm feeling of raw energy beginning to spread over his entire arm.

The demon of time watched the hedgehog gather the attack with mild interest. He snorted slightly. '_Even if that attack is powerful enough, there's no way he'll ever get close to hitting me with it_.'

The orb in Sonic's hand continued to grow and expand until finally, it could no longer be contained in a single palm. So, the hero reached over and cradled the orb with his other hand as well, pouring more and more of his energy into it until finally, he felt the supremely powerful energy of the Chimera flow through his body.

Sonic managed to smile dryly. The creature knew exactly what he was planning, and he was coming to his aid.

**'Fear nothing; I will lend you my powers. Destroy that filthy hell-spawn, Sonic the Hedgehog!'**

The bright sapphire orb in his hand drowned into a brilliant golden as the Chimera poured its own energy into the attack. By now, the orb was at least three times the size of a soccer ball, which was about the size of Sonic's regular Shining Lance attack.

Mephiles tilted his head to the side as he witnessed the color of the energy fading from blue to yellow. He knew that it was the power of the Chimera, partly because the color of the energy shield resembling the beast was also the same color.

"**There's only one person who's allowed to call me that...**" Sonic roared, his voice so strong and dominant that it roused alarm in the phantom, whose slitted green eyes grew wide when the attack the hedgehog was gathering was finally completed.

'_That energy! It's too massive!'_

With a mighty battle cry only comparable to the bravest of warriors charging headstrong into a battle, Sonic charged forward with all the speed and strength he could muster, cradling the golden energy sphere in both of his hands, which were both thrust to his side to allow him better control of his charge.

The ground in the mere vicinity of the energy ball crumbled and burst under the pressure of it, splitting and breaking into millions of tiny pebbles. The entire dome they were in was being faintly illuminated with the bright yellow light rolling off the orb in steams.

Mephiles smirked darkly as he watched the blue hedgehog blasting full speed towards him with the dangerously threatening attack cradled in his hands. He never learned. The demon was sure that the hero had figured it out. He would simply sink into a dark portal before the impact, avoiding harm and counter-attacking with an energy blast of his own to end the fight.

'_Such a waste of power,_' the demon hedgehog thought with disgust.

He blanked out for a fraction of a second, only continuing to watch Sonic come at him with his dangerous attack before deciding to open a dark portal and sink into it.

Pouring some of his energy into the ground to activate his ability, Mephiles' venom-green eyes practically doubled when crackles and sparks of blue energy shot from the spot where he attempted to open the gateway to his safety, canceling his own outpour of energy completely and stopping him from escaping as realization hit him.

'_No...He couldn't have! That idiot couldn't have!'_

_Flashback_

_'Shit!' Mephiles cursed mentally. _

_He was caught in a very vulnerable position and he knew it was no accident. Mid-air was not a good place for someone who manipulated darkness and shadows to be. If he did not have at least one of his body parts on the ground, he could not escape and it was apparent that the blue hedgehog had figured this out as well._

_A strange sense of relief washed over the demon's body when he felt his hand come into contact with the ground. Hastily summoning upon his powers, he dived into it like it was a bottomless, black pool of water._

_Sonic felt a strange pulse ripple through his body. It was like a rock was thrown into a pool of ink, which rippled once and brought forth light. He knew this feeling, this sense of feeling a small pulse of energy._

_It was the same feeling he had last time Mephiles disappeared into one of his shadows._

_Stopping himself in mid-charge, the Shining Lance still swirling in his hand, although having calmed down some, his green eyes scanned the surrounding for any sign of Mephiles. Then, with a sudden sense of urgency, the blue hero slammed the spinning orb of azure energy into the ground._

_Ripples of energy and rock coursed from the point of impact like waves, spreading through the ground like spilled ink onto a blank sheet of white paper._

_Large walls of light brown dust shot from the cracks under the stone as Sonic straightened himself out, blue remnant sparks of his Shining Lance still coursing through the ground._

"_Such a fool," Mephiles hissed as he floated back to touch onto the ground softly with two taps. He had taken refuge in the sky with an abnormal leap a millisecond before the blue hedgehog had driven his attack into the ground, observing the display of power with mild interest._

_The demon's mouth arched into a dark smirk. "Why power is wasted on an idiot like you is beyond me, blue hedgehog. You could have simply absorbed the power you put into that attack back into your body, but chose to act like a spoiled child and slam a few things around. I pity the Chimera."_

_End Flashback_

A single bead of sweat ran down the side of the phantom's face as the ice-cold realization of Sonic's actions hit him like a stray bullet. He wasn't throwing a tantrum or taking his anger out, he poured the energy of the Shining Lance into the ground to cancel himself from pouring his own energy into it.

Somewhere along the line the azure hedgehog must have figured out that it took a flow of steady energy to open a dark portal so he did what was necessary to stop it, he poured his own energy into the ground to cancel out Mephiles'.

Now there was no way for him to avoid the attack. His last trump card to safety had been ripped to shreds by the speed demon and he was too close already for a physical dodge to be effective. Before the demon of time knew it, Sonic was in front of him. Not once had he stopped or wavered in his charge and not once had the angry glare directed at the phantom weakened.

Mephiles could've sworn the sea-colored hedgehog's eyes were caught of fire when he bellowed the next set of words so hatefully, with such anger, that it could have frightened the Chimera itself.

"**...And it's not YOU!**'

Both hands cupping the grand-sized orb of energy were thrust forward full force, waves of golden energy both from the attack and from Sonic's form lashing out everywhere and drenching the scene in yellow.

Through all the energy, pain and noise, Mephiles managed to smile dryly. '_So, he has improved after all._'

"**Titan Lance**!"

The new attack crashed into Mephiles in a ferociously vicious and loud explosion of energy and power, drenching both warriors within a sea of gold that spilled into the scene from the point of impact. Fur burned and flesh seared as the attack tore away anything and everything in its path.

Instinctively, the demon of time released a bone-chilling scream of agony as he felt the Titan Lance tear and burn away at his body, while Sonic continued to push it against him with full force even though he could no longer see his target on account of the bight burst of light that originated from the impact.

The azure speed demon snarled viciously, mimicking the nature of the Chimera residing within him as he felt the waves of agony and pain rolling off Mephiles' body. He experienced a new feeling at that very moment, something that had been foreign to him:

Hatred.

* * *

A cold breeze swept through the dark robe of a lone figure sitting on the edge of a steel skyscraper's roof, overlooking a massive, eerily quiet city.

"Looks like my present was beaten."

* * *

_Sonic used the new Titan Lance, but was it enough to put Mephiles away for good? Find out next week!_


	44. Ivory Flames

Author's Note: The Sonic Fanfiction Contests 2008 are in the final voting stages and so I call on everyone to head over and vote for your favorite stories! Also, due to a lack of votes for the In the End Forum idea, I won't be creating it.

* * *

**Chapter 44- Ivory Flames**

An ocean of yellow light spilled throughout the entire dome like a massive tidal wave after the impact the Titan Lance had created before subsiding back into nothingness, the natural colors of the setting starting out blurry and then coming into plain view.

Throughout all the chaos, all the debris, all the smoke, Sonic the Hedgehog stood tall. The swirling, golden form of the Chimera having left him completely, his breath was ragged and short as he examined the damage caused by his new attack.

Before him was a giant crater, which the Titan Lance had blasted into the ground upon impact with Mephiles. It stretched to about twenty feet in length and twenty feet in depth, giving off waves of smoke and dust. The speed demon himself was a little surprised by the outcome of his new Lance attack.

"Man," Sonic breathed out, his eyes half-lidded and weary. "I didn't know my attack would be that kick-ass!"

His keen eyes scanned over the area once more, searching for any sign of the phantom hedgehog that had been hit with the mighty attack. A small gasp escaped his throat when he saw a ripped, torn, and battered white glove buried half-way at the bottom of the smoking crater.

His hear stopped for a second upon the theorized idea that the demon of time could have possibly survived the massive attack.

Nodding to himself, he slowly walked towards the edge of the crater, stepping down onto the forty-five degree wall of its barrier and sliding down, his feet raised in front of him so that his heels dug into the dirt to avoid going down too fast.

Reaching the very bottom of the large hole, the blue hero hesitated for a moment, wondering if it would be smart to pull a boiling, burning corpse out of the dirt. He ignored the fact that the white bandages covering his left arm were scorched and coming loose.

Lowering his body so that he was kneeing besides the point of interest, he slowly dug his fingers around the dirt surrounding the glove and pulled up.

Half-expecting to raise a burning, boiling body from the ground, he mentally kicked himself when all he pulled up was the actual glove he had spotted.

'_So, I guess he's finished after all_," Sonic thought, a strange sense of pride welling within him at the thought that he had single-handedly defeated Mephiles, the demon of time, a feat which not even Shadow was capable of.

Sonic stopped himself as the ultimate life form crossed his mind again. He had sent the others to go looking for the black hedgehog, perhaps they had already found him!

Discarding the tattered glove back to where it came from, the azure hedgehog leaped out of the hole with a newfound feeling of hope and strength, dashing towards the dark tunnel that led into the rest of the mysterious complex.

_'Shadow, I'll find you and once I do...I'll rescue you from the darkness!_'

* * *

Knuckles' breath was short and clipped as he rounded another corner in the massive complex, closely followed by Rouge, Amy, Tikal, and Chaos. This entire place was like a maze. They had searched countless doors already, ran down dozens of corridors, without any results.

Lanterns hung on the walls, evenly spaced out, that gave a soft, orange flow to the entire complex.

It was like a graveyard, kind of creepy. But the crimson echidna did not worry about such trivial matters. Sonic had sent him to find Shadow, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

He quickly rounded yet another corner, one without any kind of door, one that led only straight ahead. Spotting a large, oak door at the end of the long hallway, his run did not break or falter as he burst through the large door, the others following him quickly.

The echidna froze.

It was a large, circular chamber not unlike the dome they had first entered, but it was much smaller with no opening at the top. The soft, eerie glow of the lanterns also illuminated this place, but the reason why Knuckles froze wasn't because of the similarity between the two places.

It was the two cloaked figures standing in the middle of the chamber.

Knuckles heard Amy and Rouge gasp as well, knowing full-well that the others had stopped behind him and that they also spotted the two figures.

His mind momentarily raced with the idea that they had once again encountered the two intruders of Angel Island, Eclipse the Hedgehog and Kakos the Fox.

But that theory quickly washed away in front of reason. If Eclipse was really here, wouldn't he be fighting Shadow right now since that was the reason the ultimate life form abandoned them in the first place? Plus, even though the two would-be Master Emerald thieves wore cloaks, the ones on these two were different.

Draped across their bodies were long, obsidian cloaks that reached down to just below their knees, exposing the rather bland looking black shoes they were wearing on their feet.

The cloaks seemed almost too large for the wearers, since they fit onto their bodies rather loosely, not giving any hint on the type of body structure of the two.

The cloaks had long sleeves that were long and wide at the ends, only letting a few fingers from the duo's snowy white gloves poke out for the group of heroes to see clearly.

Draped across their heads were large, loosely fitting hoods that masked the heads and top facial features of the two perfectly. All in all, not a single part of their bodies was exposed; it was all hidden by the strange-looking cloaks.

But by far, the strangest characteristic on the supposedly obscuring cloaks was the white, flame-like pattern that covered them from top to bottom in an even rhythm, making about half of the cloak black and the other half white.

The red echidna absentmindedly compared the flame-like patterns to the ones that covered Shadow's body when he had transformed into his Dark Super form.

Complete and utter silence floated through the air before Knuckles finally gathered the courage to speak.

"Who are you?"

In another wave of silence that passed, none of the two figures responded, making the echidna's temper flare slightly.

"Answer me!" the warrior growled, his voice low and threatening.

The two figures were seemingly unaffected by it, only continuing to stand there and stare at them like lifeless statues.

Rouge gulped slightly, taking a step forward. "Is one of you...Shadow the Hedgehog?"

A deep, dark chuckle filled the air.

The ivory bat blinked slowly, noting that the laughter was originating from the figure on the left, whose head was thrown back slightly.

"No."

The response was simple, lacking in any kind of explanation for the chuckle beforehand. It unnerved the bat slightly at how bland and nonchalant the answer was, completely different from the sinister laughter he had just released.

The figure on the right turned his head towards the other figure. "You fool. Our orders were to remain as obscure as possible, now they know the sound of your voice."

The figure on the left turned his head towards his companion as well, shrugging slightly. "Lighten up, metal-head. They know the sound of your voice now too."

Knuckles' violet eyes narrowed slightly. '_Metal-head? And his voice sounds so familiar._'

That remark seemed to cause the other's temper to flare as he jerked his entire body to face his partner. "I told you not to call me that! Others could take it as a hint to my identity."

The figure on the left shrugged again, jerking his head to look at the group of heroes. "Oh well, it looks like we'll just have to dispose of them."

"That goes against our orders," the other figure spat, slapping his comrade in the back of his hooded head with a loud thud.

The more casual of the two figures rubbed the back of his head, grumbling something under his breath.

"If we fight now, our energy signatures will be revealed momentarily. Others could locate our position and find us," the figure on the right reminded the other with an icy edge to his tone.

"Not if we just fight hand-to-hand," the second figure responded evenly, unaffected by the threatening demeanor of his partner. "Our energy signatures won't be revealed then."

When the second figure didn't speak one word of protest, the more enthusiastic of the two stepped forward, alarming Knuckles instantly and putting him on guard. He heard Tikal, Amy, and Rouge also rustle behind him and knew that they were getting ready as well.

"This should be fun," the cloaked figure sneered, alarming the red echidna even further.

Here he was, about to fight an enemy of which he knew absolutely nothing about, not even how he looked like. With what little information he had gathered during the short conversations, Knuckles' mind began to analyze his foe.

'_He's about my height and weight, I know that much. Based on the pitch and tone of his voice I can guess that he's about my age, maybe a little older,' _his eyes fell to his feet, '_Based on the way he walks, with that kind of stride, along with his way of talking I can come to the conclusion that this guy is rather full of himself and not very cautious, totally unlike the other guy. But that still doesn't tell my anything about his fighting style.'_

'_Wait, didn't' he say he was only going to use hand-to-hand techniques?' _

A small smile curled its way onto the warrior's lips. '_I'm an expert in physical combat, so this shouldn't be a problem for me, but I don't know about the others. Perhaps I'd better handle this on my own first and give the others a chance to see his fighting style.'_

Slowly, the crimson echidna raised his arm to his side, motioning for the others to step back and away from the forthcoming battle.

"No way!" Amy immediately protested. "We don't know anything about these guys, why should we let you put yourself in danger?"

"Calm yourself, rose hedgehog," Tikal murmured softly, placing a gentle hand on the slim shoulder of the other female. "The guardian is an expert in physical combat, his entry in the battle will give us a chance to analyze the other's fighting style."

Making sure that no one else would interfere, and even catching a small glance towards Chaos, who just stood there motionlessly, Knuckles stepped forward, fists raised to his sides like a boxer about to enter a bout.

The other figure opposing him stopped his stride, standing only a few feet from the Master Emerald guardian.

"Do not let your energy signature flare up. So don't get carried away," the second, calmer, figure warned, his voice so low that it could have been considered a growl.

The first figure turned his head towards his comrade momentarily, shaking his hand as if annoyed by the constant bickering of his teammate. "Yeah, yeah, just sit back and enjoy the show!"

Knuckles blinked and the first figure was right in front of him, his right fist shooting out and crashing into his torso. The guardian's mouth fell open in both shock and pain, droplets of blood leaving it in an uneven rhythm.

The large, wide sleeve of the figure's cloak fluttered as he retracted his arm, not even giving the echidna a chance to see his arm or hand fully.

Performing a lighting-fast spin on one heel, the figure's foot slammed into Knuckles' chest with the force of a thousand-pound weight, sending the warrior flying backwards and crashing onto the ground.

'_W-What is t-this?'_ Knuckles thought, hitting the ground with a large amount of speed and force, sending him tumbling on the ground a few times before coming to a stop on his side, his amethyst eyes glazed over.

Tikal trembled, aquamarine eyes at the horrid power the figure had just displayed. The guardian was one of the toughest warriors she had ever known and yet he was taken down in two blows. It just seemed impossible.

"Knuckles!" Amy cried out in anger and sadness, attempting a mad dash for the fallen warrior, which was abruptly halted by Chaos, his two arms encircling her protectively.

The shout of despair barely reached the fallen guardian's ears before he felt another foot slam into him, this time into his stomach, sending him flying into the air.

Feeling the wind whiz by his ears, Knuckles forced his eyes open only to stare into two grotesquely amused blue eyes shrouded in layers of shadows.

The Master Emerald guardian felt shiver go down his spine at the sight of those two eyes staring directly into his own. They were the eyes of a maniac.

The small sabbatical from pain ended abruptly when Knuckles felt another fist digging into his face, sending him the opposite way of which he was just traveling; straight back towards the ground.

With a sickening crash, the fiery red echidna landed on the ground in a heap, blood seeping from his left shoulder, the point where his body had made first impact.

Struggling and ignoring the pain stabbing through his body like knives, the warrior rose to his feet, despite the protests of his comrades. Even Tikal was shouting for him to stop now, and Chaos had taken a very visible step forward.

But, like all great warriors, he had his pride to maintain. So, the guardian struggled to his feet, his vision hazy and littered with black dots, vaguely spotting his robed enemy standing in front of him, about five feet away.

"I'm disappointed," he taunted and Knuckles could clearly picture the imminent smirk forming on his masked face. "You are supposed to be one of the greatest martial arts experts on the planet."

'_It looks like I have no other choice_,' the echidna thought, eying his bandaged right arm, '_I was hoping to save this until we fought Shadow, since I can only use it once every twelve hours at this point, but it can't be helped.'_

Violet eyes slowly cleared the world to him as the fiery-furred warrior roughly grabbed the dirtied, white bandages on his arm and tugged hard. The fine material became undone and fell to the floor, leaving for everyone to see what was hidden underneath:

The terribly scorched and burned right arm of Knuckles the Echidna.

* * *

_In the face of a desperate struggle, Knuckles reveals his newest technique! Check back tomorrow for Chapter 45!_


	45. Crimson Eyes, Obsidian Soul

**Chapter 45- Crimson Eyes, Obsidian Soul**

Knuckles could clearly hear the gasps emitted from Rouge and Amy as the last of the white bandages fell loosely to the ground in an unorganized heap. He ignored it and took a dominant step forward, new courage and confidence welling inside him.

"What happened to his arm?" Amy asked with wide green eyes.

Tikal shifted to the side to catch the female hedgehog's eye. "It's his new technique. A very fearsome one at that, but with some side-effects. We should back away."

Stepping over the now discarded white wrapping that had previously occupied his right arm, the crimson echidna's eyes narrowed. "Let's see you deal with this!"

The cloaked figure with the strange white flame design that he had previously fought chuckled lightly, almost as if it was half-hearted. "Don't flatter yourself."

Ignoring the disinterested response of his opponent, Knuckles slowly lifted his right arm up so that it angled at about forty-five degrees, azure sparks of blue energy beginning to dance around his well-developed muscles.

Amy gulped slightly and took Tikal's warning to heart, backing up a few steps along with Rouge. Tikal stood her ground, not budging an inch as she regarded the guardian with a hint of curiosity and hope.

'_Let us see if your rigorous training paid off, Knuckles.'_

The number of sparks increased, nearly doubling in amount before the red warrior lowered his arm slightly, letting more sparks of frosty blue energy manifest themselves around his right arm. Noise now accompanied the soft crackles of the energy, noise that sounded much like thunder, only not as great in volume.

"Whoa," Amy breathed out, her emerald green eyes wide in amazement, observing Knuckles create even more energy around his arm. "That reminds me a lot of Shadow's improved Chaos Spear."

Tikal smiled ever so softly. "Yes, but it is far more powerful than the dark hedgehog's technique."

Knuckles' brows furrowed deeply, almost meeting at an angle between his eyes as the sea of blue energy sparks grew into a web of energy, encircling and surrounding the red echidna's arm completely up to his shoulder.

'_Not yet,'_' Knuckles thought to himself as he pushed more of his energy into the point of concentration; his right arm.

The calmer of the two cloaked figure eyed the warrior through the darkness of his hood, careful not to let any physical features slip past the barrier of his hood. '_If he generates any more energy, we will have to retreat in order to avoid capture. The humans have gotten more...persistent in seeking us out, especially now that the time of awakening draws near.'_

"Not bad, I guess," the other figure sneered, raising his left arm to his side, the loose sleeve of the cloak fluttering over his concealed arm and hand.

Summoning upon his own, mysterious powers, the sleeve of his cloak flew upwards at the sudden pressure, revealing a bleach white glove, regularity amongst almost everyone. Dark purple energy danced across his hand, shadowing his cloak so that it looked like it was made of purple and blue instead of white and black.

The energy within the mysterious warrior's palm manifested into a small orb, only about half the size of Sonic's Shining Lance. He visibly frowned. '_It's getting better, but I need more training in controlling my energy. This should be enough for this guy, though.'_

Speeding forward, despite the clear outrage of his partner which made him smirk slightly under his hood, the mysterious cloaked figure charged full-speed at Knuckles, who came to a complete with his own attack.

With a ferocious snarl, the red echidna charged forward with all the speed he could muster, his right arm now completely engulfed within thousands of azure energy sparks and waves. Slowly, he began to feel the attack burn away at his skin, making him flinch slightly.

Knuckles offhandedly noticed his glove beginning to deteriorate under the pressure and heat of the attack as well. But that didn't matter at the moment. Beads of sweat ran down his tan face, his teeth were clenched, and his amethyst eyes were narrowed.

"He looks like he's in pain," Rouge observed, concern cracking through her voice.

The echidna princess before them nodded slightly, not willing to look away from the inevitable clash that was about to occur at any second. "The guardian's attack is a double-edged sword. While it is extremely powerful, it also damages his body, mostly by burning away at skin."

Amy gasped slightly.

Waves upon waves of azure energy danced off the echidna's arm, drenching his entire body in an eerie blue. The dominant sound of thunder boomed through the air as the warrior continued his bee-line straight for the mysterious enemy.

The cloaked figure with the black and white cloak accompanied by piercing sapphire eyes jolted to the side in order to avoid a straight collision in which he would surely have the disadvantage.

The white glove on Knuckles' right hand was now completely incinerated but his hand still remained concealed beneath the ocean of sapphire light and energy surrounding his arms like dozens of snakes.

The echidna's purple eyes glinted with anticipation as adrenaline coursed through his body like water, anxiously awaiting the release of the fight-or-flight reaction.

The time for impact was drawing nearer and the mysterious hooded figure lunged forward, the hand carrying the orb of energy fully extended. A faint smirk appeared on the Master Emerald guardian's lips before he slammed his free hand onto the hard, cold ground and flipped his body over in an elegant fashion in order to avoid a stalemate clash.

He could hear a very audible gasp emit from the hooded figure as his spinning orb of energy came into contact with nothing but air.

Sure, Knuckles had pulled a very basic and simple evasive maneuver, but it seemed to him that when fights were at the brink of complication, the simplest techniques and moves were quite effective. This was one of those cases.

Landing safely on the ground behind the figure adorned in a black cloak with white flames, the crimson echidna gave his enemy the grace of allowing him to turn his body fully towards his own before plunging forward with the thunderous blue attack, going straight for his opponent's chest.

"**Raikou**!"

All the small claps of thunder ceased momentarily before a clearer and much louder boom shot through the air in a massive explosion of sapphire. Rouge, Amy, and Tikal shielded their eyes from the impending light of the attack while the other hooded figure and Chaos remained motionless.

The attack was not as beautiful as Sonic's Shining Lance or as epic as Shadow's improved Chaos Spear, but it was effective. And this clearly came to the visible eye when the burst of blue light cleared.

Knuckles' burned, scarred right arm jolted out of the cloaked figure's back. There was no blood, no bodily fluids on account of them all being burned away by the immense heat of the attack. And for the first time, Rouge and Amy saw the exposed hand of an echidna male.

It was the same color as the rest of his body, a deep red. He had five fingers, just like Sonic or anyone of them. However, the two spikes on his hand that jolted out from spots over his pointing finger and ring finger were both white. They were pure, elegant bone.

That, however, was the last thing everyone in the room noticed. The fact that Knuckles had driven his attack as well as his entire arm through the chest of his enemy were more noticeable.

The echidna warrior stirred slightly before roughly yanking his arm out of the dark hole he had created. He slowly lifted his head to stare into the eyes of his opponent.

Eyes of blue, eyes of maniac, eyes of life.

He was still alive.

Knuckles' breath stopped short within his throat as the figure moved its left arm to the hole in his chest, tracing light circles around it with his pointing finger. "Not bad, I suppose. The attack could use some work though."

"How?-" Knuckles gasped before he was struck across the face by the back of the cloaked figure's left hand, the one that had just traced circles around the normally fatal wound in his chest.

"You stupid echidna," the figure spat, looking down upon his injury again. "You burned a hole into my cloak!"

Amy's green eyes doubled in size. "There's a giant hole in his chest and he's worried about his cloak?"

"It is replaceable," the other figure drawled impassively, quickly appearing beside his partner in a flash of blue. "We have more pressing matters at hand, such as our departure."

The first figure immediately snapped his head up. "Are you bullshitting me? We're going to let them live?"

The hood of the opposite figure lowered slightly before raising back up, indicating a nod. "The echidna's attack resulted in a large energy burst, one that the humans may be able to track."

"I told you that I can handle them!" his partner retorted angrily. Both seemed to had completely forgotten about Knuckles and the others.

"We have our orders."

Then, faster than his headstrong partner with the personality of a maniacal Sonic could protest, the calmer of the two figures roughly grabbed the right sleeve of his partner before both of them disappeared in a bright flash of cobalt light.

* * *

"Damn it," Knuckles cursed loudly as he rounded another corner in the maze-like structure that somewhere hid the elusive Shadow the Hedgehog.

After their encounter with the two strange hooded figures, one with incredible powers, both strong and mysterious, the group decided to split up in order to cover more ground, hoping to find the black and red hedgehog that had betrayed them all faster.

'_The first thing I'll do after we bring him back is yank that precious emerald of his straight outta his ass,' _the fiery red echidna sneered in his mind, coming to an abrupt stop before a fork in his path, one leading to the right and the other to the left.

Knuckles' violet eyes scanned over both paths for a second or so. His thought train wrecked when a faint, almost pathetic energy jolt sparked across his senses.

It was coming from the direction of the left path.

Not wasting another second to give the small clue that had just presented itself a chance to vanish, the Master Emerald guardian dashed into the left tunnel at full speed, new hope settling across his mind.

* * *

Another wooden door slammed open, nearly tearing it off its hinges. Emerald eyes scanned the small room to find nothing of significance, or to put it better, no one of significance.

Sonic the Hedgehog growled slightly as he turned tail out of the door opening and raced down the hallway again, his mind racing with a single thought:

Find Shadow.

The hedgehog nearly tackled the next door open only to come up with the same result as last time: nothing. Sonic's green eyes narrowed as he spun around again, the black headband waving majestically, before continuing his frantic search.

* * *

Rouge's breath was heavy as she cautiously pushed another one of the identical wooden doors open, light dancing into the shadow-filled room only to illuminate nothing but gray walls.

The ivory bat heard her companion, Amy Rose, come up behind her as she also scanned the room, backing away with a disappointed sigh.

Rouge took no notice to her friend's disappointment and steadily declining lack of hope as she sprinted down the hallway again, the pink hedgehog closely following behind her.

* * *

A door.

It was door. He had slammed open countless doors in his search for his blue hedgehog's friend. But there was something dangerous about this one. It felt...frightening.

Knuckles' chest rose and fell rapidly, an expense from all the sprinting he had recently been performing. The tunnel had led him to another and then another but at the end of the latter was this door.

**The **door.

The one that hid that one elusive and betraying hedgehog that they had all been looking for. A dry lump formed in his throat as he contemplated his options.

Perhaps he should wait for Sonic and the others to catch up in order to have a better chance in case the ultimate life form performed hostile actions.

On the other hand, waiting now would most likely give the ebony hedgehog time to make a timely escape in order to avoid being confronted by his old friends.

The echidna's right, glove-less hand reached for the golden knob on the door. He felt the cold material slid beneath his fingers as he applied pressure and slowly turned it.

Knuckles' breathing quickened when the door opened slightly with a creak. Forcing himself to continue, the guardian finally slammed the door open without any regard to danger or any sense of caution.

The room was dimly light by a few candles here and there. A small set of stairs led up to what looked like a semicircle of a platform, various computers and equipment littering its space.

A large hole was obviously present on the ceiling of the large room, reminding Knuckles of a skylight. Soft rays of sunshine occasionally tainted by the flickers of shadows danced across most of the ground.

But all this was not what caught the guardian's attention at all.

On the platform surrounded by all of the machinery was a large, stone chair that was carved out to resemble a single flame. It had no handles, only a seat and a back. The entire chair was plainly gray, the original color of the stone it was carved out of.

And upon that chair sat a figure covered in shadows. He raised his head slightly to reveal fiery, crimson eyes that burned hatred into everything they stared upon straight from his dark, ebony soul. For he was...

"Chaos Spear."

...Shadow the Hedgehog.

* * *

_Light shines once again on a friend lost in darkness! What will the meeting with Shadow bring? Find out next week!_


	46. Bitter Reunion

**Chapter 46- Bitter Reunion**

A swirling, fiery blast of yellow flew at Knuckles faster then he could blink. Willing his body to move, he managed to barrel roll out of the way of danger, feeling the attack hit the ground next to him. A wave of incredible heat hit him; fooling his mind into thinking he had been hit.

Brushing it off with the logic that his body was not aflame, his eyes snapped shut at the bright light that flashed through the air, accompanied by a thunderous explosion that shook the very ground itself.

Rocks rumbled and fell under the force of the blast as the ceiling of the room collapsed, giving way to the light nature cast upon it. The echidna that had barely managed to evade the explosive attack opened his eyes after some hesitation.

He gasped at what he saw.

Rocks and rubble surrounded him as ordinarily as grass would, littering the entire area with dirt and smoke. There was no longer any darkness, only pure, natural light. The ceiling was completely blown off, leaving the figure in the stone chair in front of him as clear as water.

He couldn't move. He was as a statue in a vast garden of nothingness. Being in the mere presence of this betrayer froze the very blood in his veins.

They stared each other in the eyes, one pair wide and purple, the other nonchalant and red.

* * *

The continues tapping of feet hitting the cold ground echoed through the air, cutting through the silence. His breath was heavy and ragged from all the running and searching. He usually did not run like this, under these circumstances.

Lanterns and empty rooms flew past him like they were nothing more than a memory long forgotten. His mind was only set on one thing.

He had defeated the so-called demon of time earlier and was now running through the long, twisting hallways of the mysterious compound frantically, like a mother who had lost her child.

It was as if instinct had kicked in. Nothing else mattered except for this one thing. His jade eyes clouded over with unshed tears as his voice rang through the darkness, only accompanied by the continuous tap, tap, tap of his feet hitting the ground in steady rhythm.

"You're not getting away this time!"

* * *

Tikal and Chaos had rejoined them and were now running faster than ever. Her breath was heavy, her hair matted to her head and her clothes were drenched with sweat, sticking to her skin.

Open doors and the strangely colored walls flew past her as well as every other thought. Her mind was solely focused on this one task, this one idea, this one hope.

Just like the other trying so desperately to find the person of her ambition, Rouge voiced the one question burning in her mind like a wild fire.

"Where are you?"

* * *

An explosion shook the air as well as the entire complex, halting Sonic in his frantic run.

His green eyes flashed as his body turned, almost by instinct, towards the tell-tale sound before he sped off into the direction that he so desperately hoped would lead to the goal of his promise and ambition. His quills waved behind him as a few, delicate crystal spheres of hope and sadness dropped from his eyes to disappear behind him, resembling the weakness that caused them.

The hero's head snapped up and his mouth opened as he screamed the name of his lost friend.

"**Shadow**!"

* * *

Rouge stopped dead in her tracks, an action mimicked by her three companions at the explosion. Her head snapped towards her left, aquamarine eyes filled with a sudden sense of hope as she sped off into that very direction with her friends following close by.

"Please, stay where you are!"

* * *

A light manifested in front of them as they joined together, heading down the final tunnel that lead towards the origin of the explosion. Their eyes did not meet; they did not acknowledge each other. There was no time, no need.

There was only one thing that they needed, that they wanted so desperately. Nothing else mattered, nothing else could matter. Hope and sadness drove them, a flickering flame within a realm of darkness. The longer they waited, the smaller the flame got.

The light engulfed them all.

* * *

Rouge's eyes came into focus with the new level of light in the area as the adjusted. Pupils shrank as she stopped dead in her tracks, orbs of sight settling on the scene, followed closely by Amy, Chaos, Tikal and Sonic. It was a large room, or that was what it used to be. Now rubble lay scattered around like discarded paper, filling the area on all sides but leaving some space in the middle open.

Up above, the ceiling had been completely blown off and its edges were still smoldering from the heat of the attack. It must have been powerful to have caused so much damage.

The ivory bat's eyes snapped towards the center of the room at a faint flicker of movement, her instincts instantly kicking in. She relaxed when all she saw was a fallen red echidna shift to the side, his eyes solely focused on something above him.

"You two again?"

Time froze.

That voice. That deep, masculine voice. She only knew of one that could possess it as her mind screamed at her to prove herself wrong. After all this time, hearing that voice struck her cold like a lone leaf in winter.

Her breath was constricted within her lungs as she slowly turned her body towards the origin of the voice. Green eyes widened and rosy red lips trembled as she set her sights on her goal, her ambition, her hope, her love.

Wide green eyes the color of dew-covered grass reflected the silhouette of the person standing above her and the Master Emerald guardian, as if her eyes were nothing but mirrors. The huntress didn't know what to do, how to react to this. She froze.

Sonic could've sworn his heart stopped.

A gust of wind blew through the air, ruffling his fur and quills, almost as if nature herself was half-hearted in the attempt. His goal, his ambition of two years was right there in front of him, staring straight at him.

The two hedgehogs stared each other in the eyes. Sonic's were wide and green; the other's were half-lidded and red.

"Shadow."

There he stood, perched atop the rubble above them in all his infamous glory.

The shoes strapped to his feet were no longer white with red linings; they were now white with black linings. Covering his body was a sleek, white overcoat that seemed cloth-like.

The ivory coat was draped across his shoulders loosely and hung all the way down the point halfway between his ankles and knees. The only button that existed on the overcoat was clipped together just above his waist, leaving his powerful chest and legs exposed to a certain point. A plain black belt was strapped to his waist.

The sleeves' ends were long, covering the dark hedgehog's arms fully. Both of his arms were loosely crossed over his broad chest. The ultimate life form had received new power restrainers, only these were pure silver, not gold like his previous ones and he had no cuffs on.

The black and red quills that had lengthened slightly on his head were ruffled by the light breeze as his cold, nonchalant eyes focused upon the newcomer; upon his friend.

"You just don't give up, do you?"

Sonic gulped at the venomous question, swallowing a large, dry lump that had somehow manifested itself within his throat like a virus, his wide green eyes never leaving the obsidian hedgehog above.

It was just by looking at him that Sonic realized it: Shadow had changed completely, for the worse, just as Tikal had predicted it.

It was the black hedgehog's eyes that unnerved the hero the most. They seemed so cold, so indifferent, almost like a lifeless statue. No, even a statue had more caring in its eyes than this betrayer.

_Flashback_

"_You're crazy if you think I'll let you go to Mephiles," the Super hedgehog snarled, his teeth clenching after his words were spoken._

_Through all the pain, through all the objections from the back of his mind, Shadow wearily moved his still sore jaw to speak._

"_Shut up, moron."_

_The reaction he got from the hero was somewhat mixed. _

_He expected Sonic to punch his face in like he did the last time, but instead a facade of sadness washed over his face as his features lightened and his brows rose from their angled display of frustration._

"_Shadow," the speedster mumbled, his eyes beginning to drift into the memories that he shared with the dark hedgehog once again._

_End Flashback_

"Shadow..." Sonic trailed off, his eyes lowering to the ground, clouding over with more memories from that day two years ago, the day his heart shattered like a glass in the way of a bullet.

_Flashback_

_A long, crimson energy trail slithered behind Sonic as he charged at Shadow head-first, his right arm carrying the energy-infused fist drawn back behind his body, his vermilion eyes wide with fury and desperation._

_Even though he was a good ten feet above the water below, it still rippled and parted under the Hyper hedgehog. The swirling energy behind him continued to twist furiously, as if anxiously awaiting the clash that was about to come. Sonic's mouth was open to reveal his bleach-white, clenched teeth._

_Shadow's wings beat in a steady rhythm to keep the black hedgehog afloat, kicking up and spraying water on either side of his demonic-looking body, which was angled straight, like a giant, black arrow. His face and lifeless obsidian eyes had lost all their nonchalance as the ultimate life form showed off his fanged teeth._

_Behind the dark hedgehog's body trailed his hand carrying his jet-black, energy-powered fist. It sizzled and twisted, eagerly awaiting the clash with its opposite, the attack of the Hyper hero across from Shadow._

_Sonic quickly raised his arm to eye-level, holding his deadly and last attack close to his face. The hero could feel the pure energy of the attack warming his face, but he ignored the comforting feeling._

_Shadow also raised his attack in the same manner as Sonic did, feeling the twisting, black energy in his hand lashing against his face. The two were getting closer by the second._

_To a bystander, it would have seemed like a battle of demons, one of fire and one of darkness, locked in a battle of epic proportions, staged under the gray clouds and in front of a moving curtain of water. A mere arm's reach away from each other, both warriors thrust their fists forward with all of their might, sending their entire bodies and all of their powers into the battle-ending clash._

_With a ferocious explosion, Shadow's and Sonic's fists clashed, red and black energy blasting into one another in a desperate struggle for supremacy. Neither warrior would quit, neither would surrender. They each had their own goals, and refused to let go of them._

_Black and red fused into one another. Waves and crackles of ebony as well as crimson and white energy twisted off their fists, destroying the cliffs and boulders nearby with a mere touch. Like a giant spider web, strings and ropes of pure energy lashed out everywhere and anywhere, destroying anything and everything._

_Soon, black and red disappeared to give way to a pure, untainted white that spilled into the scene like a divine intervention from the point of impact between the two battling hedgehogs. Everything drowned under the ocean of pure light. The trees, the cliffs, the water, and the two battling friends, they all disappeared under the curtain of white._

_End Flashback_

Shadow's scarlet eyes narrowed slightly at the sea-blue hedgehog standing below him in a form of lazy inquisition.

Sonic snapped, rage washing over his features as the question he had been wanting to ask for two years spilled from his mouth like a stream of water.

"**After two years, that's all you have to say to me? After you tried to kill me and didn't follow through with it? Tell me, Shadow; tell me why you spared me!**"

The ultimate life form's eyes slowly closed in remembrance of that day and the fact that he had indeed spared the famed hero's life. "It's simple...the fight as well as the use of the emerald drained most of the energy from me, not to mention that I was injured. I was just about to deliver the killing blow when I lost consciousness from energy exhaustion."

His eyelids lifted back up, although only about three quarters of the way, to reveal the cold, vermilion eyes of the obsidian hedgehog. "I did not have enough time to kill you. The fact that you're still alive is pure luck."

Sonic's eyes went wide.

First there was confusion, and then there was sadness, followed by rage, but at the end, only a cold, numb throb within his chest. He had survived because of sheer luck? His own life was nothing more than a coincidence? There truly was no other reason that he spared his life?

A jerk and then a flutter.

Sonic blinked once before Shadow appeared right in front of him. The white coat wrapped loosely around the dark hedgehog's body settled back against his fur, subsiding from the sudden motion of its wearer. He stood there quietly, only a couple inches over Sonic, and was almost nose-to-nose with his counterpart.

"Shadow!" Rouge gasped, amazed and shocked at the sudden relocation of the black hedgehog. There was no flash, no spark of light, absolutely no indication of any type of Chaos Control. Was this Shadow's own speed?

"Fast!" Amy managed to gasp, eyes wide.

"Now that I think about it," Shadow drawled in a tone so cold and distant it seemed that he was talking to himself. "You always did have a lucky streak. Surviving our fight on Ark, surviving our fight during the Black Arms invasion, and getting revived from the dead by Elise in Soleanna; it was all sheer, blind luck. "

The sapphire hedgehog remained motionless, his eyes focused ahead, not on Shadow.

There was no way he could look him in the eye, not when he was this close after so long. "No one has that kind of luck. You spared my life on your own accord two years ago."

A silence...and for a brief moment Sonic believed that he had caught the ultimate life form off guard for once. Then, the blue hedgehog spoke again:

"Isn't that right, Shadow?"

Another brief moment of silence flow through the air, its wings engulfing everyone at the scene before the ebony and crimson hedgehog decided to break it once again. "Delusional as always."

There was an explosion of power rushing into Sonic's senses at that very second. Someone had summoned an incredible amount of power in the vicinity and the blue hedgehog did not even have to think to figure out who was producing it.

A bright yellow light slowly began to glow around him, emitting from Shadow's waist level. His right hand was now raised at his side, holding a sparking sphere of yellow energy.

The sleeve of the ultimate life form's cloak fluttered around his arm furiously from the unnatural wind produced from the attack, but the bright light of it would not let Sonic catch a glimpse of his arm. Sonic felt as if he was chocking. The amount of pressure and force around him was like a giant snake, coiling around his senses and thoughts, leaving his body frail and weak; ready to be devoured.

"Know that today, your lucky streak comes to an end," Shadow drawled impassively, raising the hand containing the bright yellow Chaos Spear to shoulder-level in a striking position. "Today you're going to die, Sonic."

"Will you kill someone who called you friend and brother, all for the sake of revenge?" Sonic asked, struggling to keep his emotions and evasive instincts in check before he did something he would regret.

There was no further reply, no answer, no comment.

There was only the loud whoosh of a fluttering sleeve and of sparking energy as the crimson-tainted ultimate life form arched his arm and sent his attack flying towards the cobalt hedgehog's head, the Chaos Spear screeching and crackling as it anticipated the bloodshed.

* * *

_Sonic and Shadow reunite and the bloodshed begins! Check back next week for Chapter 47!_


	47. The Price of Power

**Chapter 47- The Price of Power**

The gruesome sound of ripping flesh cut through the air like a dagger. Clots of blood sprayed through the air like water flung from a sink, hitting the dirty ground in soft splats. There was a faint gasp from Rouge, a cry from Amy, an outraged yell from Knuckles, wide eyes from Tikal, and silence from Chaos.

A burst of air shot through the scene as Sonic landed on the ground, his body crouched and his hands planted on the ground firmly to support his body weight. His sea-blue quills wavered slowly before settling back down. Drops of blood fell from a large gash in his left cheek in an uneven rhythm.

His breathing was heavy and tired as his cyan-green eyes focuses solely on the one who had nearly decapitated him. The sapphire-blue hedgehog felt chills creep up his spine at the sudden event and the realization that hit him harder than a bullet train as his eyes met Shadow's.

There was no regret in those pools of impassive crimson. No mercy, no friendship. The ultimate life form that he had met, fought along side with, and had called a friend was gone, dead. In his place was this new hedgehog, one without remorse.

Shadow slowly lowered his arm, letting the crackling Chaos Spear sizzle away and die. Other than that one small movement, he remained completely motionless. The only other source of movement was the sleeve of his coat fluttering as it settled back against his arm.

Knuckles cursed, his dark purple eyes narrowing. Sonic had barely managed to evade the lethal attack Shadow had just thrust at him and still he sat there, unable to take action. Well, if the blue hedgehog still wasn't fully prepared to face the traitor, then he would just have to do it for him!

Faster than anyone could protest, the crimson echidna charged, completely ignoring his burning arm and heavy breath. He had fought those two mysterious cloaked figures not too long ago, and they had definitely given him a run for his money, probably even more than that.

The Master Emerald guardian released a mighty battle cry as he continued his headstrong charge, only pushed on further by the fact that Shadow continued to remain motionless, his lazy red eyes still focused upon Sonic.

With a final burst of speed, the echidna reached the ultimate life form and swung his left arm at him with all the force and power he could muster at the moment, aiming straight for the side of the dark hedgehog's head.

There was another flutter of white fabric.

The eyes of everyone in the chamber minus Shadow and Chaos doubled in size as the black and red traitor held Knuckles' forearm firmly within his right hand.

"Two years, and you're still such a pathetic weakling," the treacherous hedgehog commented, his vermilion eyes finally settling upon him.

"Shut the hell up!" the red warrior spat venomously, completely ignoring the fact that he was still trapped within Shadow's vice-like grip. "At least I didn't abandon the people that cared for me!"

"They should have accepted the fact that I was going to Mephiles, not run around and chase me like a pack of attention-hungry dogs."

"Bastard--" Knuckles hissed, his amethyst eyes narrowing dangerously.

"However," Shadow interrupted coldly, his grip on the echidna's arm tightening considerably, making the Master Emerald guardian wince slightly. "I'm going to put an end to all these annoyances right now."

There was a burst of air, a startled grunt of pain, and the eerie flutter of white cloth before Knuckles slammed against the ground ten feet away from the black and red hedgehog, rolling over onto his side with pain-filled violet eyes.

The ultimate life form lowered his arm slowly, his distant red eyes scanning over the rest of the group with no particular interest.

The crimson echidna lying on the ground sprang to his feet again, this time charging headstrong for Shadow, purple eyes aflame with anger and hurt pride.

The tell-tale flutter of white fabric once again flew through the air and before anyone could so much as gasp, the ultimate life form was behind Knuckles, twisting the guardian's burned right arm behind his back, leaving him completely immobile.

"You just keep proving my point with every step you take," Shadow deadpanned, elevating the warrior's arm higher to cause him a jolt of pain.

Another flutter and Knuckles was thrown back like he was nothing more than some pathetic rag doll, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. The crimson-tainted hedgehog stood in the same spot, his arm still elevated from the throw, remaining unmoving.

With movements mimicking lightning ripping across a dark, cloud-filled sky, the treacherous hedgehog spun around to face the motionless Sonic, charging at his former ally at full speed. Green eyes widened as the sapphire hedgehog gasped.

He remained frozen, still. Just like a single, solitary rose in a field covered in ice, he had nowhere to go, nothing to do. He couldn't raise his hand against Shadow, he was his friend. Last time when they had fought, they had almost killed each other, so how could he take action now?

Two blurs suddenly blocked his line of vision, remaining in front of his eyes as if to shield him from the sight of his impending death about to be struck down upon him by the cold, black hedgehog he once called brother.

Standing crouched in battle-stances protectively in front of him, were Amy and Rouge.

"Get out of the way!" Knuckles bellowed, pushing himself off the ground and making a desperate dash for the two females standing in Shadow's warpath.

The rose hedgehog was wielding a strange blue, steel-like staff. Holding the mighty weapon with both hands gripped firmly on its length, her ponytail bounced slightly by the sudden movement.

The bat of snow stood in the same stance as her friend, her hands raised in a traditional Japanese-style martial arts form. Rouge's icy white hair waved slightly, rustled by a sudden gust as her green eyes narrowed, although they were glossed over with unshed tears.

Sonic unwillingly let out a breath of relief; there was no possibility of Shadow plowing through these two. His morality forbid it, there was no way the midnight-colored hedgehog could have changed to that great of an extent.

When Shadow's speed did not falter the slightest bit in the face of the two girls defending his target, Sonic's cyan-green eyes unwillingly widened.

'_No! He wouldn't!'_

Amy, knowing full well that the ultimate life form had no intention whatever of stopping, raised her staff and when she thought the traitor was close enough, swung it with all her might, Rouge attempting to deliver a powerful kick as well.

Without even so much as blinking, Shadow gathered a ferociously golden Chaos Spear within his right palm, his white coat fluttering furiously with his speed and the unnatural wind created by the energy sphere.

His cold, indifferent eyes focused upon Rouge.

The bat gasped at being looked at in that way by her former ally.

His eyes...they were so...lost. There was no heartbeat within those stone-cold red eyes, no heart. But that was impossible; the Shadow she knew didn't have that kind of a look within his eyes.

Shadow's arm sprang forward, smacking away Amy's staff and parrying Rouge's kick in one smooth motion, the Chaos Spear screaming with the thought of bathing in blood. Then, he thrust the arm carrying the deadly attack straight towards the treasure huntress.

A wisp of blue, a flutter of beige fabric.

Chaos, the god of destruction, stood in front of Rouge like some sort of protective statue, having taken the devastating Chaos Spear straight into his chest, if there was any part of it left. His chest, torso, and stomach had been completely blown away by Shadow's attack, but he remained unaffected.

Tikal stood to the side of the black and red hedgehog, her slender arm extended towards him, her delicate-looking fingers wrapped around the white sleeve of his cloak where she knew the wrist was located.

"That is enough," the echidna princess spat in a commanding tone, her aquamarine eyes narrowed into slits of ice.

This time there was a faint glow of red before the ultimate life form disappeared out of sight and out of the female's firm grasp, reappearing behind Tikal with two fingers of his left hand extended, pointing them against the side of her neck.

"This is none of your business, princess," Shadow warned, his cold vermilion eyes narrowed slightly at the sudden interference of her and the lord of destruction.

"When you attempt to hurt my friends," Tikal responded evenly, seemingly ignoring the fact that the hedgehog's fingers were aimed for a vital point. "I shall make it my business."

Rouge felt nothing; her eyes were completely blank and dead. Her entire body was washed over with a cold numb feeling. It was as if her mind and soul had suddenly fallen asleep, refusing to wake. It felt like the coldest day of winter, like attending a funeral.

The funeral of the Shadow she used to know.

He had just charged at her, without any remorse or regret. His aim was to kill her with that sizzling Chaos Spear; there was no doubt in her mind about that fact. Images of the black hedgehog from the past flashed across her mind like some sort of slide show.

He smirked, he chuckled, he used Chaos Control, he saved, he awakened, he leaped, he fell, he fought, he ran, he bled, he sighed, he smiled, he vanished, he hated, he grudged, he left...

...But he never wanted her or any of them any harm.

Amy shrieked slightly as she stumbled to the ground, the powerful push the dark one had given her staff still having given her its full effects.

This broke the treasure huntress out of her trance and back onto track with the current unfolding events. She had promised it to herself before they set out on this journey; she had promised herself that no matter what happened and that no matter what Shadow had become, she wasn't going to cry.

It was a broken promise, shattered under the weight of the ultimate life form's actions and words. Crystals of water slowly gathered in the corners of her eyes, the rest of her face remaining unchanging. They welled over the edges, sending two thin lines of tears down the side of her cheeks.

It was all too much to handle for her. Everything that was happening, everything that was going on. Why? Why did things have to turn out like this? That question repeated itself in her head like an old, scratching, broken record.

Why did Mephiles have to come along and reveal Eclipse's existence to Shadow? Why did the homicidal white and silver hedgehog have to show up on Angel Island and leave the ultimate life form bruised, beaten, and hating? Why did Shadow have to leave on that cold, cold night? Why did he have to leave her in her bed, all alone? Why did he have to fight Sonic?

Why did he refuse to accept them? To accept her?

The white huntress broke out of her thoughts by a sudden bubbling sound, as if somewhere water was being boiled in a pot. Setting her eyes upon Chaos, who still stood protectively in front of her, his body reformed itself like it was nothing more than an ocean parted by a boulder, reforming itself as if nothing had ever happened.

"...Thank you," Rouge whispered, quietly wiping the tears from her cheeks and eyes with the back of her black glove.

There was no form of acknowledgment from the god of destruction. She really didn't expect otherwise, after all, the creature had barely spoken to any of them in the past two years when they were training with him and Tikal on Angel Island.

"Rouge," Knuckles rasped, running up beside the bat, his eyes filled with concern. "You all right?"

The bat nodded slowly, smiling to her best extent at the echidna. "Yeah."

"Amy," Sonic gasped, unconsciously letting more worry seep through his voice than he intended to. "Are you hurt?"

The rosette hedgehog shook her head. The sapphire hedgehog smiled, extending his hand towards the female, which she immediately accepted, and lifting her up to stand on her own two feet again.

Sonic's smile inversed when there was a sudden gust of air. The next thing he knew, a lavender female echidna flew straight by him like an arrow, slamming into the adjacent wall with a gasp of pain. The blue hero's eyes widened before he took off like a bullet, running towards the princess echidna.

Knuckles was beside him in less than a second, dismissing Rouge as being fine, his only concern now being the well-being of his female counterpart. The crimson echidna skidded to his knees, wrapping both of his arms around Tikal's frail body securely before she could slump over.

Sonic came to a halt, standing above him, his eyes downcast upon the female. "Is she all right?"

Knuckles nodded slowly, his eyes or arms never leaving the princess. "She'll be fine; she's just a little shook up."

The cobalt hedgehog's fists slowly clenched, the soft sound of gloved material rubbing together almost silently floating in the air. Without hesitation, he turned around, his emerald-green eyes focusing upon the black and crimson hedgehog clad in an ivory coat.

Shadow's gaze had not changed, neither did his posture. His eyes of hell fire were still as cold as ice and his arms remained at his sides, his fingers curled lazily.

Then, without thinking or formulating any sort of plan, Sonic charged at his black and red counterpart, his green eyes wide and bathed in furious anger. The rapid tap, tap, tap of shoes hitting the ground rang through the air like the repeating bells of a church, catching everyone's attention.

"Sonic, wait!" Amy shrieked, her eyes wide, one hand extended as if trying to feebly pull the blue hedgehog away from his attack.

Rouge gulped slowly, knowing full-well the extent of Shadow's new powers, or not knowing them at all. She didn't know which frightened her more. The ultimate life form had displayed incredible amounts of strength and power, yet every time he did he seemed so nonchalant.

Was he even trying?

In either case, the speed demon was going to need some help if he planed to take on the obsidian traitor. Making up her mind quickly, the huntress also charged forward.

Amy gasped slightly at the sight of her friend charging into battle with Sonic before her eyes narrowed. There was no way she could fight Shadow. He had displayed incredible amounts of power, how could a little, weak girl like herself be any help?

She sank to her knees, watching her love and her friend charge forward.

Sonic offhandedly noticed Rouge joining him but he did not protest or tell her to go back. He couldn't. Who was he to deny her the right to help bring Shadow back home, to pull him out of the lake of darkness in which he was so deeply submerged?

There was a loud whoosh as the sapphire hedgehog gathered a monstrous-sized Shining Lance within his right hand, dragging the attack behind him and upturning stone and slab with the sheer force of the energy spawned into it.

"**I'm bringing you back Shadow**!" Sonic roared, the Chimera within him stirring by his host's sudden boiling anger.

'**So, this is him, the black hound's vessel?**'

The cobalt hero completely ignored the beast within him. His only focus, his only attention was upon the ultimate life form, who still made no move to defend himself.

Sonic roared, showing off his fanged white teeth as he lifted the arm carrying his signature move up and blasted it in front of his body, turning him into a deadly blue arrow of death. The Shining Lance swirled madly, like a vicious hurricane as it drew closer and closer to Shadow.

The white fabric strapped to his body as well as his red and black quills and fur wavered madly with the wind created by the attack of his foe, but he still remained motionless. It was only until the last second that the traitor finally decided to dodge.

Mere centimeters away from being speared full-force by the immensely powerful attack; Shadow sprang to the side to avoid it. Sonic had no way to stop himself and stumbled past him, his green eyes narrowed and angry.

There was another flutter of white, but this time it was not the cloak of the ultimate life form, it was his glove.

Sonic stopped, his eyes returning to their normal shapes as he quietly observed the soft white piece of fabric hitting the ground with a soft thud. His eyes traveled to the hand it had once covered.

'_No…'_

"Shadow—you--"

Green eyes widened, his mouth fell open in shock, and the swirling attack within his palm disappeared at the sight of Shadow's right hand, which was a base color of milky gold, the same as his Super form, but with a black, flame-like pattern of color spread over it like a virus.

* * *

_The day Shadow accepted darkness was the day Sonic fell from the light. Check back next week for Chapter 48!_


	48. Friends of Old and New

**I've created a forum for In the End! If you want to discuss the story in any way, shape, or form, head on over to my profile!**

**Chapter 48- Friends of Old and New**

There was only silence. No words, no sounds, no whispers. It was as if someone had hit the pause button to life itself. All eyes in the large chamber with its roof blown sky-high were focused only on Shadow's right hand.

Garnet eyes grazed over the revealed hand, raising it slightly to examine it like an artist would his work. The ultimate life form's eyes narrowed slightly as he pulled back the sleeve of his coat covering his arm to his elbow.

The grotesque half-transformation of the Dark Super form reached all the way to the middle of his forearm, were it simply bled into the betrayer's natural fur colors.

Sonic's mouth moved to form words, but no sound came out. He was in complete and utter shock; there was just no other way to put it. Was it some sort of side-effect from using the Dark Emerald after two years?

The sapphire hero gasped suddenly. Of course, how could he have forgotten? He had seen that strange transformation before, two years ago, when he and Shadow had fought by the Lake of Tears.

_Flashback_

_Emerald eyes widened and pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints when Shadow finally faced him. A single bead of sweat ran down the side of Sonic's tan cheek as his mouth went agape._

_The ultimate life form's gaze was nonchalant, his lips were completely straight..._

_And his ebony eyes bore directly into Sonic's shocked jade ones._

_The cerulean hero unconsciously gulped as a few seconds of heavy, pregnant silence passed in between the two._

_Shadow's eyes were completely black. That fact kept on jumping around in the blue one's mind like a rubber ball in a blank, white room. What happened to him? Was it some side effect from the usage of the Dark Emerald?_

_End Flashback_

"Shadow," Rouge gasped, her mouth dry. The huntress' eyes were completely wide; her entire body was devoid of any motion. She just stood there, as if frozen, staring at the arm of the black hedgehog.

"...It's getting worse, I suppose," came Shadow's nonchalant voice, ringing through the air like a bell that was the key to awakening everyone from their staring trance.

Sonic snapped back into reality, his eyes immediately narrowing into slits at the ultimate life form's sudden confession. "You mean this has been happening to you all this time?"

A few moments of silence, then Shadow slowly turned to face his blue adversary, letting his arm drop back to his side, sequentially letting the sleeve of his coat hide his tainted arm and hand once again.

"Its a price that I'm willing to pay. You should know that better than anyone, Sonic," the black and red hedgehog responded coldly, his soulless red eyes focusing upon Sonic.

"I can't believe you! You weren't like this when you wanted revenge on G.U.N. all those years ago, so why are you doing this now?" the blue speed demon hissed. "Are you willing to let darkness consume you, to turn you into a monster, all for the sake of killing your own brother?"

For the first time since their encounter, Shadow's ruby-red eyes narrowed slightly, but just enough for Sonic to catch. The first emotion the ultimate life form had displayed: annoyance.

The blue blur blinked, Shadow appearing right before him, his white coat fluttering and then settling against his body from the sudden jerk. His left hand, the one remaining pure from the tainting touch of the Dark Emerald was stretched out, palm flat, and pointed at Sonic.

"I've explained this to you before," the ultimate life form deadpanned, dark purple crackles of energy dancing over his hand. "You cannot fathom the pain of being betrayed by someone you thought was your companion, your friend and your brother."

A dry, sad smile touched Sonic's lips at Shadow's ironic words. "You're wrong, Shadow. I know exactly what if feels like to be betrayed by someone like that. But vengeance isn't on my mind; it's the slight shimmer of hope to save you."

There was another slight pause and for the first time the speed demon thought he had finally caught the crimson-tainted hedgehog off-guard. But then, there came another reply, followed by a steadily growing light of violet.

"...Our circumstances are not the same, Sonic. We were merely allies, not bound together by the distant illusion of family and love. My path lies with my brother, with his death...with mine."

Sonic gasped, his cyan-green eyes suddenly widening at the midnight-colored hedgehog's talk about his own death. "What are you saying...that you're willing to die just to kill him?"

Shadow's cold nonchalance broke for an instant, letting a weak but dark smirk show through his stolid facade of indifference. "...I've told you before, Sonic. I'm willing to sell my soul and body to the devil himself as long as **he** dies."

The brief shimmer of the old Shadow was gone in the next instant, leaving Sonic with waves of nostalgia washing over him like a giant river. Then, the orb of energy within Shadow's palm completed. Before the hero so much as could blink, the ultimate life form released the ball of spiraling energy at point-blank range.

"Sonic!" Amy and Rouge cried out simultaneously, both making a mad dash for the sapphire-blue hedgehog.

Knuckles cursed under his breath, leaving the now-awake Tikal's side to sprint after them. Shadow had shown that he had no problem ramming through them both with his Chaos Spear, so he couldn't just let them charge at him blindly.

'_Why doesn't that asshole help out?_' the echidna warrior thought, momentarily eying the still motionless Chaos standing in the corner of the chamber.

A split second before the Chaos Nightmare of the dark hedgehog scorched Sonic's face, it became encased within a neon green aura, holding it steadily in place and preventing any harm from being done to the hero.

Rouge, Amy, and Knuckles all stopped dead in their tracks at the sudden event, rendered speechless. Even Sonic seemed to be in shock, completely oblivious to the fact that the ultimate life form had almost succeeded in killing him.

There was a burst of orange and red before a ball of flame roughly the size of a chair whizzed through the air, sending waves of heat dancing across the room. The ball flew past Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, and Sonic, heading directly for the red-streaked hedgehog in the room.

Before the ball of flames could consume him, the ultimate life form warped away in a photon of crimson light, a mere flash in the face of the all-consuming fire that hit nothing but the ground, scorching it black with a small blast.

Shadow reappeared back perched atop of the rubble on the outer rim of the room, his red eyes scanning for the source of the attack before they finally stopped at a single spot behind the rest of the heroes.

"I did not expect you two to show up."

There were two taps, indicating feet hitting the ground, catching the attention of everyone minus Chaos and Tikal. The four remaining heroes whirled around, their eyes landing on two figures standing in the center of the chamber.

The first was a purple feline with brilliant golden eyes. The three stray lines of fur on top of her head were pulled back into a small ponytail, and a crimson red jewel was melted into her forehead. The cat was adorned in a violet shirt, white pants, and white gloves with fuzz on the rims. Her long tail lashed out behind her, a stolid expression on her beautiful face. On her feet were simple red running shoes.

The second was a hedgehog not unlike Sonic or Shadow. Although, as Sonic was blue and Shadow was black, he was a snowy white.

Like his female companion, the hedgehog's eyes were a shiny golden color. He had two long quills sprouting out of the back of his head and five arranged in a star-like pattern jutting out from his forehead.

On his hand were white gloves, topped off with golden cuffs, both of which had rings of the same strange neon color shinning in it. On his feet were black, white, and yellow boots, also with the strange glow and golden cuffs.

Sonic almost choked on his own saliva in the presence of the two newcomers. "Silver...and Blaze?"

Tikal's heavy-lidded sapphire eyes almost doubled in size. '_It can't be! The fourth incarnation!'_

The first of the two mentioned, who was now sixteen years old, smiled slightly at the blue hedgehog in a form of greeting. "Hey, Sonic. Long time no see."

The other, now also sixteen years of age, nodded slightly out of respect, her eyes never leaving the ultimate life form perched above them on top of the rubble.

Silver's eyes narrowed before he waved his hand to the right, his hand beginning to glow. Perched atop the rubble, Shadow had regained his cold indifferent look, cracking his head to the side just in time to barely avoid a purple orb of energy encased in a neon aura flying by him.

The white hedgehog cursed slightly, releasing his hold on the attack, the neon color disappearing as well as the violet attack.

The violet-furred feline beside him raised her left hand, summoning a flame within her palm as if her fingers were a lighter. The ivory hedgehog raised a hand, non-verbally telling her not to attack, as his golden eyes hardened.

"Shadow, I expected many things from you, but not this."

The black and red ultimate life form tilted his head to the left ever so slightly, his white coat fluttering around his body with the touch of a soft breeze. "I'm not interested in you two. Leave now and I won't kill you."

"Forget that!" Blaze interjected, speaking for the first time since the encounter, "What happened to you? You're not the same Shadow that helped us beat Iblis three years ago!"

Shadow's dead crimson eyes fell upon the cat, making shivers claw up her spine. It was like staring into the eyes of a statue.

"The Shadow you knew is dead. Cast away. Forgotten, along with the false illusions of friendship."

Silver took a step forward. "Shadow, please! Don't you remember us sealing Iblis and Mephiles away together, us protecting Elise, us defeating Solaris?"

Once again, the midnight-colored hedgehog's gaze shifted onto the white hedgehog. "I remember it all. But it is all meaningless to me now. Leave now, before I decide to make a whim of taking your lives."

The ivory hedgehog smirked darkly, getting into a crouched battle stance. "Make any whim you like Shadow, but I won't abandon my friends. I'm not like you."

Something suddenly flashed across the ultimate life form's garnet eyes. It was an emotion. An emotion that used to burn in those eyes all the time before it was extinguished by Mephiles. Sonic and Rouge caught it immediately.

Both pairs of green eyes fell upon Silver and Blaze, who were now standing in Shadow's path, about to feel the emotion that the dark hedgehog was expressing.

Anger.

Then there was the tell-tale flutter of white fabric before the dark betrayer charged at the newcomer duo, a record-breaking formed Chaos Spear sizzling within his Dark Super form-infected right hand.

There was a crack within his indifference. It was small, but a tiny droplet of the old Shadow they all knew poured through that crack, that barrier that he had set up around his emotions, around his true self. Just like his older brother wanted him to.

The battle had commenced.

Blaze immediately threw the ball of fire within her hand at the speeding black hedgehog. Silver's hands glowed neon green as he cut his hand across the air. A nearby piece of rock from the destroyed ceiling glowed the same green color before levitating off the ground and flying at Shadow as well.

With his natural eyesight made for speed, Sonic was the only one that caught the ultimate life form elegantly spinning in mid-run to avoid the ball of flames before slashing the neon green-covered rock in half with his screeching Chaos Spear.

Blaze cursed, summoning two more fireballs, one in each hand and beaming them both at Shadow. Silver remained silent, activating his psychokinetic ability in both of his hands and ripping ten boulders out of the rubble around them, sending them all at Shadow.

The sapphire-blue hedgehog watching the action blinked once, and he missed it all. All of the flame balls had missed the black hedgehog by a mile and all ten boulders were cleanly sliced in half.

Shadow halted his charge, letting the ivory coat settle back against his body, the yellow Chaos Spear still dancing in his hand, giving off crackles and spurs of energy.

"Blaze," Silver called, getting the attention of his female companion beside him. Their eyes met and she nodded, knowing exactly what he had in mind.

Once again activating his mysterious powers that resided within his being, the time-traveling hedgehog raised at least twenty boulders and rocks of various sizes into the air, letting them hover above them all in a protective circle.

The violet cat's head turned upwards towards the levitating rocks before she pointed her palm at one, shooting a blazing sphere of fire at it and causing it to ignite in a fiery inferno. She pointed her hand at the next one, also shooting a ball of fire at it which caused it to catch flames.

Blaze repeated the procedure eighteen more times, more rapidly than the first two times, until all twenty boulders hovering above them were caught in an inferno.

Rouge gasped slightly at the display of raw power, from the both of them. When she first met Silver, he could lift four objects at a time, but now it was twenty, even more. And Blaze could rapidly summon fire like it was mere child's play.

Perhaps they had all improved. A shadow fell over her face, her eyes redirecting towards the sky above them. Clouds. Dark clouds, filled with rain.

"Meteor Shower!" Silver bellowed, thrusting both of his glowing arms straight forward to point them at the motionless Shadow.

As commanded, the twenty flaming rocks hovering above the two encased in a neon green aura flew towards the ultimate life form at break-neck speed. Waves of heat scorched the air as the rock slowly began to melt under the heat of the powerful flames surrounding them.

Shadow's vermilion eyes narrowed slightly as he let the golden Chaos Spear within his hand sizzle and die away. It was soon replaced by a color of crimson that spread across his hand like an outline, encasing it and creeping up his arm.

From there on, the flow of red energy spread across his chest, even covering his white coat, reaching up to his head, other arm, and lower body. The backstabbing hedgehog that shined of hell fire remained completely neutral as the fiery rocks neared him by the second.

Then, inches before they burned him to a black crisp, Shadow released the concentrated garnet energy surrounding him. A giant shock wave of crimson spilled into the area with a loud boom, vaporizing any last particle and molecule of the flaming rocks heading towards him in a sea of bloody red.

"Chaos Blast."

Sonic's emerald-green eyes unwillingly widened. '_That Chaos Blast! The amount of energy he put into it...unreal.'_

The waves of crimson died away after another second or two, revealing the unharmed Shadow standing there in the same stance as before, unmoved and uninterested. There was a slight pause during which no one moved or spoke. It was shattered like a glass window hit with a hammer by the ultimate life form.

"I don't have anymore time to waste on you weaklings."

Shadow raised his right hand, Sonic once again wincing at the display of the poisonous black and yellow colors on it. The sleeve of the dark hedgehog's coat fell down to his shoulder since his arm was totally vertical as if he was holding an imaginary pop-fly baseball just caught.

There was a crackle of energy. Another, two more. Then they danced madly within Shadow's palm, spreading down to his arm and reaching to just below his shoulder, encasing it within a cage of crackling and dancing crimson energy sparks.

Knuckles' eyes widened. '_That energy is through the roof! I don't know what he's doing, but he could destroy this entire building with it!'_

"Now, now, Shadow, didn't I warn you not to use that technique so leisurely?"

Everyone in the room, including Shadow, froze instantly.

Beside the ultimate life form, a spinning, black vortex materialized out of the ground. A hole to an endless abyss to darkness, it seemed. And who came out of it made Sonic's eyes double in size. It was someone he had just beaten.

Slowly, painstakingly, a figure rose out of the dark portal. First there were gray and black quills, then venomous, slitted green eyes, and finally the rest of his body. The portal under him disappeared as his feet touched the ground with two soft clanks.

Silver's golden eyes were wide with confusion and shock. "Me-Mephiles?"

The demon of time's mouth twisted into a fanged smirk. "If it isn't my former pupil. How are you, Silver?"

The white hedgehog's eyes narrowed the next second. "Shut up! You stabbed me in the back you demon!"

The phantom hedgehog chuckled slightly as Shadow lowered his hand beside him and let the crackles of energy dancing around his arm disappear, the sleeve of his white coat fluttering back down to cover his arm and hand.

"Still bearing those old grudges against me, eh Silver?" Mephiles crackled, his poisonous green eyes traveling amongst the group.

They stopped once they spotted Sonic. "That was an impressive attack by the way, blue hedgehog. A little out-of-control, but powerful nonetheless."

"Ho-How?" The super sonic hero stuttered, at a complete loss for words.

He had defeated this same demon not an hour ago, yet there he stood, unharmed. There was no possibility of him having survived his Titan Lance, which was for sure. So, how was he standing before him next to Shadow now?"

The demon snapped to Shadow. "You've wasted enough time. We have more important things to do."

With a wave of his hand, Mephiles summoned another dark portal, this time one that was vertical. Turning around, the demon of time walked through it, disappearing into the darkness with a swirl from the portal.

Shadow hesitated for a moment before also turning his back on them, causing Sonic to cry out in outrage. "Shadow, wait!"

Rouge and Amy both took a step forward as well, tears welling in both of their eyes at the thought of the dark hedgehog departing for a second time. After all they had done to get here, would they let Shadow walk away once again?

Shadow paused before the dark, swirling portal that made him in his white overcoat stand out much more, and without turning around, spoke.

"Shed your compassion, Sonic. Then, seek me out."

Then, with an elegant flutter of his coat, he inked into the black portal, disappearing from their sights and hopes once again. The dark entity dissipated as soon as he disappeared completely, leaving only silence, sadness, and tears in the empty chamber.

Rouge slowly raised her head to the sky at a familiar, depressing sound.

It was raining.

* * *

_The reunion ends just as quickly as it began! What's next for the heroes? Find out next week!_

* * *


	49. Speed

**Chapter 49- Speed**

The rush of the wind as it blew by you, the blur of colors from all the objects passed like they were nothing more than some non-tangible entity, the adrenaline pumping through your body as your legs ached and screamed in protest.

That was speed.

At least it was for Sonic the Hedgehog.

However, to him, it also meant freedom, a blank mind. For a mind with no worries, with nothing on it, was a peaceful mind. This was what running did to the blue blur and why he first became insinuated with it.

It was like magic in the works, a strange and unique art shrouded in mystery. To him, there was nothing more magical or breath-taking than the sheer pleasure received when running with ones' own two feet hitting the ground in steady rhythm.

Most of the time, he simply ran because he wanted to, because he felt like receiving the rush. But there were other times when the blue hedgehog ran simply to clear his mind of things. This was one of those times.

He was depressed, saddened, worried, and hurt.

They had met Shadow the Hedgehog, lone betrayer of him and all that he stood for again after two long years of grueling solitary training just to achieve the purpose of bringing him back, by violence if necessary.

But from the second that Sonic's cyan-green eyes met Shadow's ruby-red ones, he froze. The hero never froze, under any circumstances. He was all about getting the job done as fast as possible, all about speed. But it was different that time.

For a few moments, they just stared at each other. Then they conversed and it was at that moment that Sonic realized that the Shadow he used to know was gone and dead, buried under the weight of this new, cold, and indifferent ultimate life form.

Then they had fought. The odds were even, so he had thought at the beginning. Even though he was reluctant at first to fight Shadow, he eventually charged in head-first with his Shining Lance, but the midnight-colored hedgehog avoided it like it was mere child's play.

Then he had nearly rammed through Amy and Rouge with his Chaos Spear, without so much as even blinking. If it had not been for the quick reactions of the two, he would have surely killed them. And if it had not been for Silver and Blaze, Shadow would have killed him as well.

Tikal was absolutely right when she had said that the dark hedgehog would not be the same but Sonic didn't quite understand this until it was already too late. He was unprepared, unfocused, and unmoving when it came to fighting the black and red hedgehog clad in ivory.

Even after two long years, nothing had changed. The outcome was the same as the last time he attempted to rescue the ultimate life form. So, after the fight, he had decided to take a run around Angel Island to keep himself from falling into depression.

Sonic's train of thought came to an abrupt wreck when he spotted something out of the corner of his left eye. Feeling the rush of speed dying down, the blue hero came to a stop on a small grassy hill just to the right of the airborne Angel Island.

A small smile curled its way onto his lips for the first time in days.

It was the Tornado.

'_Tails.'_

* * *

With a loud hum, a small blue plane touched onto the grassy surface of Angel Island. The force of air pressure that it created blew leaves and stray blades of grass high into the air before the engine died away.

A few moments later, a golden fox adorned with twin tails jumped out of the aircraft, now at the age of thirteen. He had grown slightly taller and one could see that his body was slowly crafting itself small muscles on his arms and legs but other than that, he remained identical to the Tails he was two years ago. One key difference to his appearance was the small, slim pouch strapped to his upper right leg and a bag strapped to his back.

The vulpine smiled when his ocean-blue eyes landed on his group of friends huddled together by the steps of the Master Emerald shrine. Squinting his eyes, he was able to make out the forms of Rouge, Knuckles, Amy, and Chaos. But no Sonic or Tikal.

Tails sighed, and jogged up to his friends. "What's up guys?"

Knuckles blinked. "Hey Tails, long time no see. Been improving the Tornado, huh?"

The ivory-furred bat next to him smiled at the fox, running her black, finger-less gloved hand through her hair. "What's up kid?"

Tails frowned slightly. "I told you to stop calling me that!"

"Don't mind her," Amy reassured him with a wave of her hand. "We're all just upset right now."

The fox's frown deepened considerably. "Yeah, I heard about Shadow."

Rouge scoffed in her mind. 'Just upset' was an outrageous understatement. It took all the self control in her possession not to break down in tears right now. They had just met Shadow after two long years of training to rescue him and what does he do? He tries to tear through them with his Chaos Spear.

There was a sudden rumble, which caught everyone's attention. The stairs below the Master Emerald shrine shifted before revealing another staircase that led down. Out of the inky darkness came Tikal, Blaze, and then Silver.

"But really," the ivory-furred hedgehog said to his female companion. "I was sure you would be the fire incarnation!"

The purple feline huffed and turned her head away from her naïve friend. "Stop making such useless stereotypes, the echidna is the fire incarnation."

Tikal turned around and smiled at them both once they exited the staircase, letting it shift back to its original position and once again hiding the secret entrance to the goblet chamber. "To have such unprecedented luck. Without even looking for, you came to us, Wyvern."

Silver rubbed the back of his head shyly. "It's Silver, Miss Tikal. Even though I'm this fourth incarnation, which would explain a couple of things..., I don't want to give up my name."

The echidna princess' smile brightened. "No need to be so formal, Silver. You may call me Tikal."

The white hedgehog nodded slightly before his eyes shifted and caught sight of Tails. Silver blinked his brilliant golden eyes once before his lips cracked into a smile. "Well, if it isn't Tails! Man, you've sure grown!"

The yellow fox ruffled the back of his head out of slight embarrassment. "It's good to see you too Silver, and Blaze of course."

"It's unfortunate that you came at a time like this, young one," Tikal broke in, ending the pleasant reunion. "Dark times lie ahead."

Tails nodded, his blue eyes scanning over the group once more. What Tikal said was completely true. They all seemed worn out, hurt, and sad. He knew about everything. How Shadow had left them all to kill his brother and how they had gone out to bring him back after two years of training.

"So Tails," Knuckles began, crossing his arms and closing his eyes lightly. "Did you find anything new about this Eclipse guy?"

The two-tailed kitsune frowned slightly, his cerulean eyes traveling to the ground. "No, all of his records have been completely erased and deleted. I even managed to hack into G.U.N.'s main intelligence records and haven't found anything. It's as if this guy never existed."

"That's exactly what they wanted," Rouge cut in.

"But I don't get it!" Tails cried out, his highly developed mind not being able to comprehend coming across a problem that he could not solve. "Why would all of his records be simply deleted?"

"There is only one good explanation," Blaze replied. "They fear him."

"Fear him?" Tails scoffed. "They're the most powerful military force on the planet, why would they fear him?"

Knuckles opened his eyes. "For the same reason they feared Shadow; what he was capable of doing."

* * *

As the air flew by his body in even currents, the burned and ripped white bandages around his arm came loose, slithering off its owners arm and sailing into the sapphire blue sky. Green eyes followed the fine white clothe for a moment before Sonic decided that it was irreverent whether or not his arm was exposed.

The bandages, after all, were to help heal and injury he had sustained during training to create the Titan Lance. Eying his left arm, he knew for sure now that it was completely healed and he no longer needed the white bandages.

Sonic the Hedgehog landed on the soft, grassy ground of Angel Island with a loud thud, coming to rest in a crouched position with one arm draped lazily over his knee. Smiling, the thought of reuniting with one of his closest friends that didn't actually have the intent of killing him brightened his day ever so slightly.

'_Let's see how big you've gotten, little bro.'_

Then there was a puff of air, a swirl of dirt, a dance of grass before Sonic sped off towards the center of Angel Island, revisiting his roots amongst all this fighting and struggle for power: speed.

* * *

Tails blinked his bright sapphire eyes once as a strong gust of wind rustled his golden fur. The eerie feeling of knowing someone was standing right behind you washed over him and the young fox immediately snapped around to come face-to-face with a royal blue hedgehog with bright green eyes.

"Man, you've gotten really tall, little bro."

The kitsune felt tears well up in his thirteen-year old eyes at the familiar look and voice of what could only be his adopted big brother: Sonic. Not knowing what else to do, the fox leaped onto the blue hedgehog, earning him a startled cry from the hero, and surrounding him in a bone-crushing hug.

Sonic's green eyes were wide at first but they soon regained their regular shape as he lifted one of his hands to pat his young companion softly on the head, ruffling Tails' bangs slightly. "I've missed you too, Tails."

"I hate to interrupt this heart-warming reunion," Blaze interrupted. "But we have higher priorities at the moment, such as figuring out a couple of things."

Sonic released the two-tailed fox caught in his bear-hug, his gaze hardening. "Yeah, things just don't make sense."

Tikal nodded. "Correct. For example: how was the demon of time able to survive when you were so sure that you destroyed him?"

The sea-blue hedgehog's line of sight shifted to the left, as if he was ashamed of the fact that Mephiles had slipped through his grip once again. "I have no clue. That damn demon always finds a way to outsmart us."

"Also," Tikal continued, "When we met those two robed figures right before confronting the dark one, who were they? The power of the one who fought the guardian was incredible."

Sonic snickered. "Yeah, I heard about Knuckles' ass-kicking session."

"Coming from the guy who can drown in a kiddy pool," the echidna shot back.

"Don't hate Knuckles," the speed demon taunted. "Try 'sippin on some of that appreci-ade."

The Master Emerald guardian lowered his eyelids. "And now you're talking like a thirteen-year old poser."

The Chimera-wielder turned away, flipping his red echidna friend the bird. "Talk to the finger."

Amy rolled her eyes at the childish antics of the two. "Anyway, someone have any clues or ideas as to why Mephiles survived or why we met those two fashion-disasters?"

The replies came in whispered murmurs and shrugs. The rosette hedgehog sighed heavily, rolling her shoulders, and sat back down on the steps of the Master Emerald shrine. There was a shot of silence among the group during which no one moved or spoke.

"_We shall wait, then."_

Heads turned towards the origin of the sudden voice, which was loud and commanding. It seemed otherworldly and far too masculine to belong to anyone on this planet.

There stood Chaos, the god of destruction. He had spoken for the first time in days. But every time the lord of chaos decided to add in his two cents, everyone quieted down and listened immediately. This was no exception.

"Are you certain?" Tikal asked, skepticism lacing her angelic voice. "How do you know that someone will come after the Master Emerald again?"

Chaos' jewel-like eyes fell upon the princess of echidnas. She gasped when she saw them narrow slightly. "You of all mortals should know better than to question my judgment, princess."

"I'm with her!" Knuckles cut in, taking a strong step towards the god. "I'm the guardian of the Master Emerald and this island and you expect me to just sit here and wait for someone to try and steal it?"

The liquidly creature's green eyes landed on the crimson guardian. Knuckles could clearly see his own defiant reflection within those mirror-like eyes but he made no move to step down or back off. Chaos had been acting like this since he had brought Sonic back after he had fought Shadow two years ago, and the echidna was fed up!

"_Do not worry about the stone of universal power, guardian_," Chaos replied almost apathetically. "_The one that will arrive here in one day's time will not be after the Master Emerald. His eyes are set on more valuable items._"

Sonic raised one eyebrow, his attention snagged by the god. "Such as?"

The god of destruction turned towards the sea-blue hedgehog, his eyes landing square on the hero. "_Items of much greater importance than the Master Emerald_."

* * *

_The most cheerful eyes in the world also hold the most pain. Check back tomorrowfor Chapter 50!_


	50. A History of the Future

**Chapter 50 - A History of the Future**

Waves of cool air danced around ivory fur and quills. Lazy golden eyes glanced into the direction of the setting sun. The bright ball of fire in the sky glowed of a beautiful orange, drowning Angel Island within a sea of fuchsia. It gave the day a laid-back feeling, totally opposing the feelings churning within the chest of Silver the Hedgehog.

He was here once again, just as he was when Solaris was defeated at his hands along with Sonic and Shadow. He was away from the future, away from his home. The home that now did not stand in turmoil, but was peaceful and beautiful without seas of molten lava flowing through cracks of buildings and the giant beast Iblis roaming the Earth.

Even though the threat of the man-made monster was gone, his subconscious mind, Mephiles, still roamed the present. How this happened the psychokinetic hedgehog did not know, but what was for sure was that Mephiles had influenced Shadow in a great way and turned him against his friends.

And it was also recently revealed to him that he was one of the seven incarnations spoken of in ancient legends and tales. Now Silver was not very superstitious, but the fact that a strange ability other than his psychic ones had been beginning to churn within his being have been giving him hints.

Wind.

It was all around him, floating, and unseen by the naked eye. But, he knew it was there and he also knew that he had some influences over it.

Slowly, the white hedgehog raised his left hand and waved it gently, as if he was a conductor giving instructions to an orchestra. And just like an orchestra, the wind around him responded, not in the form of music, but in the form of life.

A gentle gust rustled his body, blowing from the area where he had waved his hand over. It wasn't the first time this had happened. In fact, he had been randomly manipulating the air for a while now. It had all been triggered by a dream.

A dream filled with memories of events erased from history itself.

_Flashback_

_Silver bolted upright in his small wooden bed, making the frame of the frail sleeping platform creak and rock from the sudden movement. Sweat poured down his face, his brilliant yellow eyes wide with fear and shock._

_After a few moments, the white hedgehog gulped and threw the thin sheets covering his body off him. Wiping the sweat from his forehead with his exposed hand, the gold-eyed hero grabbed two white gloves off a small table next to his bed and pulled them on. _

_Silver examined his hand carefully, noticing his powers beginning to activate now that he was once again awake. Two bright green circles covered both of his hands evenly, tracing two lines down to his heavy cuffs that he had clamped onto his wrists._

_Next, the time-traveling hero pulled the large green, black, and yellow boots that stood on the floor next to his bed close to his feet and slipped them on roughly. Standing to his full height, the ivory hedgehog glanced around his small, almost barren room once more before running to the door, tearing it open, and cutting into the hallway._

_'I've gotta tell Blaze about this!'_

_

* * *

_

Annoyed yellow eyes snapped open as she felt her entire bed shake. Blaze sighed heavily, letting sleep crumble before she sat up, her eyes landing on her life-long companion and friend, Silver the Hedgehog.

"_What do you want?" the feline pushed out, more than irritated at being woken up by her naïve friend._

_Silver's ear folded back, mimicking a small puppy that knew he had done something bad. It was always like that when the purple cat scolded him for doing something he shouldn't have. "I had a really weird dream."_

_The fire-cat rolled her eyes, slamming her head back down on her large pillow. "Go away. I don't have time to baby-sit you right now."_

"_But Blaze!" the sixteen year old hedgehog whined, tugging at her arm again, which she jerked away roughly. "It was really strange. Something about a demon named Mephiles and a place called Soleanna."_

_Blaze's eyes widened. The dream Silver had just briefly described. It was the same one she had prior to being woken up! Slowly sitting back up, her soft yellow eyes landed on the ivory-furred hero before she sighed again. "All right, let's hear it."_

_Silver smiled slightly. Usually Blaze wouldn't even hear him out but this time she seemed different, she seemed interested. Perhaps..._

"_Did you have that dream too?"_

_The violet cat paused, unsure whether or not to tell him. Mentally, she answered the question immediately. Yes, she had the exact same dream and she remembered every little detail of it as if it was an actual memory._

"_...Yes, Silver, I did," she finally answered._

"_Do you remember it all?"_

_Blaze bit her lip, averting her gaze for a moment. "As if it actually--"_

"_--Happened," Silver finished for her._

* * *

"_I'm not too sure about this," Blaze bit out, her slitted yellow eyes scanning the room for any signs of danger. Not that there were any, as this was one of the many research facilities G.U.N. owned in the area. The worst case scenario was that they would be thrown out for illegal entry._

"_Aw, come on Blaze," Silver cooed, nudging his closest friend a little. "According to that dream, you and I traveled back exactly two hundred years to help someone named Sonic and Shadow. We have to check out if it's true or not!"_

"_But..." the female trailed off, her eyes landing on the large cylinder-like machine in front of them with a large glass door. "We might not be able to come back."_

"_So what?" the albino hedgehog asked, his fingers gliding over the console in front of the machine. "What do we have here that's keeping us down? The citizens of Station Square that we constantly risk our necks to save yet still slam their doors shut and close their curtains when we walk down the street? If you ask me, this might be out best choice."_

"_What if all of it was really just a dream and we can't return to our time? Then what?" Blaze shot at him, her gold eyes slitted in anger._

_The white hedgehog rolled his eyes, acting like the smarter of the two for once. "Do you really think I would just jump that blindly? I did some research and found out that there actually was once a famed hero named Sonic the Hedgehog that lived around two hundred years ago in this very city. I didn't find anything on Mephiles however."_

_Blaze sighed slightly. "I'm still not too sure. What about the Sol Emeralds? I'm their guardian, what if someone tries to steal them?"_

_Silver smiled, punching in a few more buttons before the glass door of the chamber hissed open with a loud hum, lifting up as if to invite them to step in. Smoke hissed from the sides of the capsule-like invention before bright white lights activated and illuminated the clear white chamber._

_He turned to the purple cat standing behind him. "GUN took the emeralds into one of their bases a while ago, so I'm sure they're safe. Besides," he said, raising his eyes towards her, "No one lives forever, Blaze."_

_Then, without another word, he turned tail and walked straight towards the chamber, ducking slightly as he entered. There was a brief moment of silence before the time-traveling hero turned around, lifting his right hand up and sticking it out towards Blaze._

"_As long as we're together, right Blaze?" Silver asked with a bright smile, the machine beginning to activate and hum loudly._

_The feline paused for a moment, unsure of what to do. Shaking her head to clear away her doubts, she gave her friend a small smile before running up to him and grasping his hand. Courteously, the white hedgehog lifted her up into the chamber, pulling her close to his own body._

_Blaze unwillingly blushed for a moment before her defenses kicked in. "Don't get any ideas."_

_Silver's smile widened as he released his female companion. "I wouldn't dream of it."_

_The glass door to the chamber suddenly rumbled before slowly lowering itself to close the capsule. With a hiss that also set their decision in stone, Silver and Blaze stared bravely at the wall of the capsule before a bright white light flashed all around them, warping them away from their home and towards their destiny._

_

* * *

_

Blades of grass stirred gently in face of a breeze, a mere whisper of Mother Nature to her children. On the long, grassy plain that seemed to stretch on endlessly towards the horizon, no living being stirred.

_A shadow rolled over the grassy earth, one as massive as a small city. Slowly, almost lazily, the giant dark spot crossed the plain. For in the sky above, hovered Angel Island, home to the once proud race known as the echidnas, now home to the last survivor of that race and future battle ground for the catalyst of the Titan Beasts._

_A bright yellow flash cut through the air, illuminating the space around it with a soft glow and highlighting the waving sea of grass below it. Two silhouettes appeared in the flash, one shaped like a hedgehog and the other shaped like a feline._

_The flash of light faded and died away before two sets of feet landed on the ground with soft thuds, splitting and bending the grass below them under their weight. There was a slight chuckle that originated from the hedgehog as his eyes scanned the plain and the giant island floating above them._

"_So, we really made it?" Silver asked, more to himself than his companion, Blaze._

_The said purple feline with strange flame-wielding powers dusted off her violet coat before her eyes caught sight of Angel Island as well. Her mouth opened in mild shock, realizing that everything she had seen, everything she had dreamed of; it was all real._

"_That's where that echidna lives, isn't it?" Blaze asked, her gold eyes never leaving the massive chunk of earth floating in the sky above them._

_The ivory-furred hedgehog next to her nodded with a smile, unconsciously tightening his gloves around his hands by habit. "Knuckles. He must know where Sonic and Shadow are. I want to meet them again."_

_Blaze chuckled. "It's so strange. In reality, we've never met them, but in events that never happened, they were our friends."_

"_They __**are**__ our friends," Silver corrected. "And I have a feeling that something really bad is happening to them right now."_

_The fire-user's ear twitched. "What makes you think that?"_

_The white hedgehog's gaze traveled to the side, golden eyes clouding over with doubt. "I'm not really sure, but it has something to do with Shadow. I can feel his energy pulse with the others at this very moment, but it seems different."_

_Blaze raised a brow. "How so?"_

_Silver's eyes narrowed. "Shadow seems...corrupted."_

"_Well then, what do you want to do?"_

_The psychokinetic user shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe we should just che--"_

_He cut himself off so suddenly that it alarmed Blaze. Silver's bright yellow eyes practically doubled in size, his mouth slowly gaping. A single line of sweat ran down the side of his face. He had practically frozen in place, as still as a statue._

"_Silver?" Blaze asked, concern cracking through her voice, "What's wrong?"_

"_He's attacking them!"_

_The purple cat's eyes widened as well. "What? Who's attacking them?"_

"_...Shadow…" the white hedgehog responded, voice suddenly flat and dead._

_There were no more exchange of words, no more conversations, and no more whispers. Faster than Blaze could blink, Silver had grabbed her roughly by the arm, pulled her close to him, and began summoning upon his powers._

_The ivory-furred hedgehog's entire body began to glow an alien, neon green, his quills waving gently as if the energy around him was a soft breeze. Then his eyes flashed the same strange green color before he used his newly developed warping technique._

"_Mind Ribbons!"_

_Locking his own mind onto Sonic's, swirling rays of neon green energy formed around him and Blaze like multiple ribbons before they ensnared them. Then, with the collapse of the web of energy ribbons around them, they disappeared from the spot._

_

* * *

_

The breath Blaze had trapped within her throat was released heavily when her feet once again came into contact with a solid base. Golden eyes scanned the immediate surroundings, a mere instinct from all the combat she had gone through.

_Gasping, her eyes widened. Surely enough, there they were. A black and red hedgehog with crimson eyes clad in a long ivory coat and a sea-blue hedgehog with sparkling green eyes._

_But what was most alarming was that the black and red hedgehog was pointing his palm straight into the chest of the cobalt one. Silver had been right after all. Shadow, the one they once knew as an ally, was now their enemy._

"_I've explained this to you before," the ultimate life form deadpanned, dark purple crackles of energy dancing over his hand. "You cannot fathom the pain of being betrayed by someone you thought was your companion, your friend, your brother."_

_A dry, sad smile touched Sonic's lips at Shadow's ironic words. "You're wrong, Shadow. I know exactly what if feels like to be betrayed by someone like that. But vengeance isn't on my mind; it's the slight shimmer of hope to save you."_

_There was another slight pause and for the first time the speed demon thought he had finally caught the crimson-tainted hedgehog off-guard. But then, there came another reply, followed by a steadily growing light of violet._

"_...Our circumstances are not the same, Sonic. We were merely allies, not bound together by the distant illusion of family and love. My path lies with my brother, with his death...with mine."_

_Sonic gasped, his cyan-green eyes suddenly widening at the midnight-colored hedgehog's talk about his own death. "What are you saying...that you're willing to die just to kill him?"_

_Shadow's cold nonchalance broke for an instant, letting a weak but dark smirk show through his stolid facade of indifference. "...I've told you before, Sonic. I'm willing to sell my soul and body to the devil himself as long as he dies."_

_The brief shimmer of the old Shadow was gone in the next instant, leaving Sonic with waves of nostalgia washing over him like a giant river. Then, the orb of energy within Shadow's palm completed. Before the hero so much as could blink, the ultimate life form released the ball of spiraling energy at point-blank range._

"_Sonic!" Amy and Rouge cried out simultaneously, both making a mad dash for the sapphire-blue hedgehog._

"_Damn it!" Silver cursed, hastily summoning upon his powers once again. _

_The blast of neon green that shot out of his hand trapped the shimmering violet orb Shadow had just fired at Sonic in the nick of time. Another second or so, and the blue hedgehog would have been hit full-force with the attack._

_Rouge, Amy, and Knuckles all stopped dead in their tracks at the sudden event, rendered speechless. Even Sonic seemed to be in shock, completely oblivious to the fact that the ultimate life form had almost succeeded in killing him._

_There was a burst of orange and red before a ball of flame roughly the size of a chair whizzed through the air, sending waves of heat dancing across the room. The ball flew past Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, and Sonic, heading directly for the red-streaked hedgehog in the room._

_Before the ball of flames could consume him, the ultimate life form warped away in a photon of crimson light, a mere flash in the face of the all-consuming fire that hit nothing but the ground, scorching it black with a small blast._

_Shadow reappeared back perched atop of the rubble on the outer rim of the room, his red eyes scanning for the source of the attack before they finally stopped at a single spot behind the rest of the heroes._

"_I did not expect you two to show up."_

_End Flashback_

A dry smile touched Silver's lips. "Things could have been so different. But I'm needed here now. It's my duty as one of the seven incarnations...and as Shadow's friend to bring him to his senses.

"Talking to yourself again, huh?"

The psychic hedgehog turned his head slightly to acknowledge the newcomer's presence. "I just thought you would like to know what I was thinking about, Sonic."

The sea-blue hedgehog crossed his arms and smiled, leaning back against the trunk of a large tree that cast shades onto his body and the grass below him. "I know things are bad, Silver and I appreciate you wanting to help out but getting Shadow back is my duty, no one else's."

Silver closed his bight yellow eyes and leaned back, using his palms to support his body weight. "Everyone needs a little help sometimes, Sonic. That's what Shadow failed to realize."

* * *

_Even in the darkest of places, Sonic can always find a source of light. Check back next week for Chapter 51!_


	51. Two Brothers, One Destiny

**Chapter 51- Two Brothers, One Destiny**

Dark shadows that seemed to mimic demons from the very depths of hell itself danced on the dark walls. Spawned by the dim lanterns in the room, the black shapes performed their foul and evil rituals before being cast away by a bright light that swept through the room, originating from an opened door.

Heavy footsteps echoed trough the bleak and dark room, like the gongs of a clock tower on a dark, silent night. Like a bouncing ball, the echoes were cast all around the room until finally they ceased. There was a brief pause of silence before the soft sound of clothe against fur rubbed through the air.

A long ivory coat fell to the floor in a heap in no particular order, just sloppily cast aside by the wearer, who of which was none other than the infamous ultimate life form, Shadow the Hedgehog.

Garnet, glazed-over eyes scanned through the near-empty room that Mephiles had provided him with in this new base of his. It had been like that ever since he first began training under the demon of time. They constantly moved, constantly tried to avoid some great invisible force that Shadow could not identify.

And of course, now that one of the bases was discovered and entered, they had to move once again. The fact that his former allies were the ones who broke into the base still surprised him slightly though. He had been completely clear that he would no longer associate himself with any of them, yet they came running, looking for him after two years.

'_Foolish.'_

There was a heavy creak from the metallic frame of the old bed that was Shadow's as he slowly lowered himself onto it. Turning his head slightly, he was mentally relieved to find out that he had a window this time. The last two places they were at did not grant the black hedgehog that luxury.

Watching nature unfold without any disturbances always calmed him. Whether his body was in physical or mental turmoil, he could always rely on the peacefulness brought by simply watching the world turn and take its natural course.

Too bad it was currently dark outside.

It was just a big black spot on the wall now, not a window. Not a ticket to tranquility. Shadow sighed heavily, running his right hand, now once again covered by his trade-mark white glove, through his spiky black and red quills before lowering his head onto the single pillow on the bed.

His blood-colored eyes narrowed at the ceiling he was staring at.

_Flashback_

"_There is one simple reason I will let you live," the homicidal hedgehog explained, his eyes traveling from Shadow and towards the two corpses of Gerald and Maria. "You have the power to surpass me, to kill me."_

_Shadow continued to retreat when his brother appeared before him in a silent wisp of air and picked him up by the neck, raising him to eye level._

"_When you have awakened the powers that reside within you, seek me out. Until then, you aren't worth my time."_

_Shadow shook his head, unwilling to believe what his brother was saying. This had to be a dream, it had to be!_

"_So, little brother, hate me, envision yourself standing over my fallen body, and once you have awakened, come before me."_

_The young ultimate life form didn't even have time to scream before he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. The last thing he saw were the cold and emotionless eyes of his older brother, the one he had loved, the one he had looked up to, and the one that took everything from him._

_Then everything went black..._

_End Flashback_

'_Brother...you will pay for what you have done.'_

* * *

The large wooden oak door of the small room was pushed open with an irritated shove. There was a flutter of ebony as a single cloaked figure entered, closing the door behind him with a click. Icy silver eyes scanned the room, noticing that his partner was already snoring on his bed.

Eclipse the Hedgehog, mass-murderer of everyone aboard the Ark, sighed. With a tug of the string around the neckline of his cloak, the long obsidian robe fell to the floor. The ivory hedgehog ignored it, stepping over it with two clanks of his white and silver hover shoes.

There was a creak of his bed as he lowered himself onto it, distorting the rhythmic snoring of Kakos in the bed next to him for a moment before it fell back into place. His icy eyes softened for a moment as his little brother crossed his mind.

'_You shall understand soon enough, Shadow.'_

_Flashback_

"_Did the mission go as planned?" a deep and slightly amused voice from the shadows asked._

_Eclipse remained unfazed, his expression completely neutral while his partner, Kakos the Fox, stirred slightly._

"_Not exactly boss, you see we--"_

"_I know all about it," the voice replied evenly. "You didn't expect Eclipse's younger brother to show up and make such a ruckus, isn't that right?"_

_Eclipse remained stoic. "I gave the order to leave the island, Sarx. The Master Emerald can be acquired at any other time you wish. I did not want to risk awakening the incarnations prematurely."_

_There was a dark chuckle from the high, looming shadow before the two robed figures. "Your decision was a wise one, Eclipse. Besides, the Master Emerald is of no value to me."_

"_Wait a second!" Kakos interjected, his long black robe fluttering from the sudden jerk of his body. "Then why did you send us to that island?"_

"_He wanted us to make sure the Elemental Flame Goblets were still all there. The attempt to steal the Master Emerald was just a cover," Eclipse answered as if it was as simple as reciting the alphabet._

"_Why do I never get filled in on this shit?" Kakos grumbled, snapping his head to the side like an annoyed child._

"_Well?" came the raspy voice of the darkness. "Are they still beneath the shrine?"_

"_Yes," came Eclipse's immediate reply. "As far as I could tell, neither the female echidna nor the god moved them to another location._

"_Good," the voice hissed approvingly. "And since our plans will soon be set into motion, there is no need to go after them now. We shall wait until the time is right."_

"_And when will that be?" Kakos snorted._

"_Patience," the one called Sarx replied icily. "Now that Shadow and Eclipse were finally reunited, if only for a short period, it will drive him thirsty for revenge. This turned out to be an unexpected advantage. We shall see what he will do before we make our move for the goblets."_

* * *

"You're ready for the transfer, right?" the white hedgehog asked.

'**Of course**,' a deep, booming voice within his mind hissed. '**Although I must say it is unusual for an incarnation to willingly give up their beast to another. Usually, death takes care of that.**'

"You know that I can't participate in the fights with the Titan Beasts," the Ark slayer replied evenly. "The sensible thing to do is to transfer you and your powers to another. You have already chosen a vessel, correct?"

'**Yes. It is a female, but she will do well. I have to admit that I shall miss you, Eclipse. Your story and actions are that of legend. And the reason why you are willing to give up everything is all for your little brother. It is admirable.**'

Eclipse slowly closed his eyes in remembrance of that day two years ago. Now they knew what Shadow had done, where he had gone. And the white hedgehog knew exactly why his younger brother had betrayed all of his comrades and become a ranked criminal.

'_Everything I'm doing is for you, little Shadow. Is everything you're doing for me?'_

* * *

Shadow stirred. His ruby-red eyes slowly opened, scanning the dark and barren room for any signs of an intruder. The ultimate life form sighed, his gaze traveling to his right arm. Black marks not unlike the shape of flames clawed their way up to his elbow while a milky golden color served as the base.

_Flashback_

"_**I'm bringing you back Shadow**__!" Sonic roared, the Chimera within him stirring by his host's sudden boiling anger._

_'__**So, this is him, the black hound himself?**__'_

_The cobalt hero completely ignored the beast within him. His only focus, his only attention was upon the ultimate life form, who still made no move to defend himself._

_Sonic roared, showing off his fanged white teeth as he lifted the arm carrying his signature move up and blasted it in front of his body, turning him into a deadly blue arrow of death. The Shining Lance swirled madly, like a vicious hurricane as it drew closer and closer to Shadow._

_The white fabric strapped to his body as well as his red and black quills and fur wavered madly with the wind created by the attack of his foe, but he still remained motionless. It was only until the last second that the traitor finally decided to dodge._

_Mere centimeters away from being speared full-force by the immensely powerful attack; Shadow sprang to the side to avoid it. Sonic had no way to stop himself and stumbled past him, his green eyes narrowed and angry._

_There was another flutter of white, but this time it was not the cloak of the ultimate life form, it was his glove._

_Sonic stopped, his eyes returning to their normal shapes as he quietly observed the soft white piece of fabric hitting the ground with a soft thud. His eyes traveled to the hand it had once covered._

'_No.'_

"_Shadow—you--"_

_Green eyes widened, his mouth fell open in shock, and the swirling attack within his palm disappeared at the sight of Shadow's right hand, which was a base color of milky gold, the same as his Super form, but with a black, flame-like pattern of color spread over it like a virus._

* * *

"_It's getting worse, I suppose__," came Shadow's nonchalant voice, ringing through the air like a bell that was the key to awakening everyone from their staring trance._

_Sonic snapped back into reality, his eyes immediately narrowing into slits at the ultimate life form's sudden confession. "You mean this has been happening to you all this time?"_

_A few moments of silence, then Shadow slowly turned to face his blue adversary, letting his arm drop back to his side, sequentially letting the sleeve of his coat hide his tainted arm and hand once again._

"_It is a price that I'm willing to pay. You should know that better than anyone, Sonic," the black and red hedgehog responded coldly, his soulless red eyes focusing upon Sonic._

_End Flashback_

Shadow blinked slowly.

'_The side-effects of using the emerald so much are worse than I thought. I'll have to start using it as a last-resort if I don't want to risk being taken over by it.'_

The ebony warrior shifted his body on the creaky bed. Sleep had never been a luxury that he willingly took. He had slept long enough, fifty years to be exact while his older brother that had killed everyone he loved roamed around the world freely.

To see blood leave the ivory-furred murderer's mouth, to see it soak his body and turn his beautiful shining coat of white and silver a light orange, to see him gasp and struggle in pain, to see him beg for his life.

That was what Shadow wanted.

'**Your thirst for revenge is strong. But do not forget your priorities, your destiny as my wielder!'**

The crimson-stripped hedgehog remained stoic. "Don't worry. I know what I must do in exchange for using your powers."

The booming voice inside his head chuckled in twisted amusement. **'I must say, none of my previous wielders have done what you have, Shadow. Stabbing your own comrades in the back all for the sake of revenge, against your own brother nonetheless?'**

"You hold up your end of the deal and allow me access to your powers, and I will help the other incarnations when the time comes," Shadow replied coldly.

The voice chuckled again before there was a loud, echoing crack within the dark hedgehog's mind, as if someone or something had just broken something made out of glass. Shadow's mouth twitched into a small smirk at the sound.

**'Hm, usually there must be a certain bond between incarnation and beast before powers can be wielded but it seems that you have a natural affiliation with darkness. Perhaps it comes from using that wretched emerald?'**

"Don't concern yourself with the circumstances," the obsidian betrayer replied evenly. "The fight with my brother draws near. If what you said was true, then I will need your powers to some extent in order to defeat him."

The beast snorted slightly. **'That foul creature of light has always been a thorn in my side. However, he is required in order to vanquish the Titan Beasts. Your brother will have more knowledge in wielding his powers than you have of mine.'**

"It doesn't matter," Shadow retorted. "Even if one of the incarnations is killed, there is always another to take his or her place, right? His experience with using his beast may be greater, but I have the Dark Emerald as a trump card."

**'Correct,' **the beast hissed.

Lazy rays of orange spread across the room in shafts, the signal of a new day, a new beginning. Shadow's eyes traveled to the lone window in his quarters to see the giver of all life rise over grassy hills to shine upon the world for another day.

It was sad, really. It was such a beautiful day. Everywhere, people were going on with their business, completely oblivious to what was about to happen, what chain would about to be broken to set of a sequence of near apocalyptic events.

Slowly, the ultimate life form grabbed the long ivory coat he had tossed aside the previous night and lifted it up, sliding it over his shoulder and fastening it at the waist so that it wouldn't slip off with a single button, leaving the rest of it open to reveal his chest and stomach, clipping his belt on as well.

The black hedgehog rose to his feet, another slow creak emitting from his bed. "Then there is only one thing left for me to do here."

**'Indeed there is,' **the dark monster within his head growled approvingly. **'But do not use my powers on a low-life such as him. He does not deserve to bear witness to my might.'**

"I won't," Shadow replied. "If it isn't necessary."

**'It will not be necessary,' **the beast hissed. **'Go now! Vanquish that manipulator of shadows, that demon if time!'**

* * *

_An inevitable clash between master and student! Check back next week for Chapter 52!_


	52. Painted in Crimson

**Chapter 52- Painted in Crimson**

Venomous green eyes raised themselves to stare into boiling crimson orbs belonging to none other than the ultimate life form created aboard the Ark fifty years ago. A brief flutter of silence passed before the phantom of time decided to speak.

"I see. It's that time already, then?"

Shadow remained silent for a moment, his ruby-red eyes scanning the room they were in. It was fairly large and only had a few pieces of mechanical equipment in it, including a few computers. Mephiles sat sluggishly on a chair in front of one of the computers, his green eyes fixated on the dark hedgehog.

"Mephiles," Shadow's voice was slow and deliberate, as if he had already planned out what he was going to say long ago and felt no need to rush. "You've taught me everything I need to know. I have no more use for you."

There was another pause, then a chuckle. The demon hedgehog crackled, his laugh like that of an old man too tired and weary to put his whole heart into the laugh. "I thought I had a little more time left. Perhaps your progress is greater than I expected."

The ebony and crimson hedgehog clad in ivory remained silent for a moment, as if he was once again carefully planning out his answer. "My progress is beyond your comprehension. Now that I'm ready, I'll begin carrying out my plans and they don't include you."

The black and gray hedgehog raised his left brow a few centimeters, amused. "And what does include me?"

A flutter of white answered Mephiles' question. Hurtling himself off the chair he was seated on, the phantom barely managed to evade Shadow's lighting-fast attack; a blazing Chaos Spear aimed for his head.

Performing a simple roll, the time-manipulator stood to his full height, his snake-like eyes narrowing. "Don't underestimate me just yet, little Shadow. You may have learned much and you may possess the Dark Emerald I so generously granted you, but there are things of which you still know nothing about."

"Enough!" Shadow cut in, his voice monotone.

Slowly, he reached to his right shoulder and peeled away the soft white fabric covering it, exposing his upper arm and shoulder. Then he did the same to the other side, letting the top of the white coat hang over his waist, leaving his upper body and arms exposed while his belt held the rest of his coat in place.

"Your dreams of tainting this world with your vile influences have had life long enough," the ultimate life form spat, letting emotions crack through. "You're a thorn in the side of this planet and its existence. It's time someone put an end to your disgusting presence."

The outline of a black jewel pulsed within Shadow's chest before milky yellow fur scarred with black marks shot over him like a raging virus, covering his entire body. But the dark hedgehog didn't intend on stopping there. Using the next level of the emerald, his fur bled completely obsidian along with his eyes before two large, bat-like wings jutted from his back, giving the dark hedgehog the appearance of a demon straight out of hell.

"Do you think this is wise, Shadow?" Mephiles asked, not at all seemingly fazed by his former pupil's transformation and substantial power increase. "To use the emerald's powers on the one who gave it to you?"

"You won't talk your way out of this," the newly transformed hedgehog replied. "You will witness first-hand the monster you have created, the demon you have spawned! You will bear witness to the might of the Chaos form!"

Then, Shadow charged for his former master headstrong, all of his emotionless actions and words thrown into the wind. Black wings flapped behind the hedgehog madly to keep him in the air as a twisting, black Chaos Spear swarmed into his right hand.

Mephiles cursed under his breath, releasing his own powers. In a flash, he hastily summoned upon his crystalline form, giving him a new attire of two shades of purple, a body that seemed carved out of rock, and a violet and black energy dancing around him.

"Dark Portal!" the demon of time commanded, a pool of black materializing under his body and sucking him down as if it were some kind of lethal form of quicksand.

Shadow abruptly came to a halt, still keeping the screeching black Chaos Spear he had summoned moments ago alive within his palm. Ruby eyes scanned the silent room, waiting for anything that would give away his master's position.

There was a creak.

The ultimate life form was in the air already, his giant black wings flapping like two pieces of paper in the wind to keep his body afloat just as Mephiles shot out of another portal right were he was just standing, a swirling ball of violet energy within his hand.

Not willing to give the phantom a chance to recover, Shadow launched himself at Mephiles, slamming the jet-black Chaos Spear down with an eerie sense of apathy. The crystalline hedgehog managed to evade, launching his entire body to the side before hurling the ball of energy in his hand at Shadow.

Quick to retaliate, the black hedgehog swiped his own Chaos Spear through the air, crushing it against the whizzing orb of energy and sending it into some of the computer equipment, effectively scorching it in a sea of flames.

Mephiles surprisingly stopped his wave of assaults, letting Shadow get a small moment of peace. Shining emerald eyes glinted in amusement. "So, Shadow. Tell me, what do you plan on doing once you've killed me?"

The ultimate life form did not pause before his reply, his voice rivaled by the sound of the dancing Chaos Spear within his hand. "You know that. It's the reason I aligned myself with you in the first place. The reason I threw everything away. _Him_."

The demon of time chuckled. "Ah yes, of course. My offer, it was only accepted because of that one person. Had it been under any other circumstances, you would have refused. Just like in Soleanna, right Shadow?"

"Don't play coy," Shadow replied evenly, his demon-like wings folding against his back. "You won't slither out of this. It's your end, your doom."

"And what if you don't have the power to overcome me here and now, then what?" Mephiles asked icily, beginning to gather a bright violet ball within his left hand that began expanding into what looked like a spear made out of pure energy.

"Then there is no further reason for me to live," the tainted anti-hero scoffed, conversing about his own life as if it was as meaningless as a discarded piece of paper.

The wings on Shadow's back jutted outwards in both directions, lifting the dark hedgehog off the ground before he darted through the air straight for Mephiles, who steadily raised the energy spear within his palm in a defensive position, also placing his other hand on it to stabilize it.

When Shadow was close enough, the phantom hedgehog thrust the spear forward, intent on ramming it straight through the dark hedgehog's chest. The ultimate life form however, had other plans, and saw the attack coming.

Redirecting his path with a powerful flap of his right wing so that it turned his entire body to the left, Shadow slammed his free palm onto the ground with so much force that it actually cracked a little, shooting towards the now exposed side of his former master.

Mephiles' eyes narrowed at the sight of the ultimate life form having avoided his thrust, removing one hand from the energy spear and pointing it palm-open at Shadow, who at the same moment, released the blazing Chaos Spear from his hand and shot it at the demon.

The crystalline hedgehog smirked slightly, summoning a Dark Portal about two feet from his open palm. The fiery Chaos Spear flew straight into the portal and disappeared before the small black hole followed suite.

Shadow's expression remained stoic before his black-furred body began to glow a hellish shade of ebony, illuminating him in a dark and eerie way. There was a burst before the ebony hedgehog took off, releasing his accumulated energy when he appeared before Mephiles.

A shock wave of obsidian energy flooded into the room from the origin; Shadow's body. Walls crumbled and even the ceiling could not withstand the destructive power of the ultimate life form's Chaos Blast.

Rays of sunshine streamed into the room, broken by the clouds that hung overhead lazily in the sky. There were only a few spots of sunlight left, and those soon departed to make room for the depressing, gray atmosphere that came right before rain, thunder, and lightning.

Out of the bright black light leaped a figure, Mephiles the Dark. His body was damaged and broken. Bits and pieces of his crystalline armor chipped off and fell to the ground; even one of his quills was completely broken off and shattered. Red blood trickled around his mouth and nose, his breathing was heavy, and one of his eyes was closed.

The black light dimmed and finally died down, leaving only a black silhouette with demonic wings standing amongst the dust, smoke, and debris. A gust from the oncoming storm waved the inconvenient clouds away to reveal Shadow the Hedgehog, his Chaos form still fully activated.

The black hedgehog raised his head to look at the blanket of clouds hanging above, ebony eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of an oncoming storm before he spoke. "Your demise is as certain as the oncoming storm, _master_. Surrender now and your death will be quick and mostly painless."

There was a pause, a chuckle, and then a full crackle of laughter. Shadow was slightly shocked to see Mephiles standing there, beaten and broken, with his head thrown back laughing like a maniac. The dark hedgehog tried to remain emotionless at all times, but this was enough even to bring his mouth slightly agape.

"Do you truly believe that you have won?" Mephiles asked through dark laughter. "You talk as if everything is over, as if the battle is concluded. Shouldn't you know better than to underestimate me, my dear little ultimate life form?"

"Bluffs aren't going to work," Shadow replied evenly. He couldn't let confusion and shock break through his facade. It would ruin everything.

"Who's bluffing?" the demon of time roared with twisted amusement. "You always had that despicable trait; underestimating everyone you come across simply because you were giving a mediocre title at birth...or should I say creation? That's why your brother is still out there, that's why I still live, and that's what will cause your own destruction!"

A ghost of a smirk chiseled its way onto the ultimate life form's features. "Aren't you being somewhat of a hypocrite, _master_?"

"Hmph, when we fought in Soleanna, I was still weak. But make no mistake about it, Shadow. Our fight in the forest two years ago proves what I already know. Your powers pale in comparison to mine. The title of ultimate life form has the same worth as a grain of sand in the desert," Mephiles sneered.

Shadow remained quiet for a moment, letting the insults of his former master sink in before he spoke, his voice cold and his ebony eyes as hard as obsidian.

"You're wrong. Demon of time, manipulator of space, your powers are void, obsolete and out-dated. You may have possessed power when you joined with Iblis, but now you're nothing more than a shadow of your former self. But even that is of no relevance because no matter what the skill, power or technique...it all falls to mediocrity before the title of ultimate life form."

Mephiles smirked darkly. "Well then, since my powers are inferior to yours, perhaps I should use your own against you!"

The phantom hedgehog cut his hand through the air like a magician summoning something extraordinary to woo the crowd in front of him. Above Shadow, a black hole materialized, looking much like some sort of vortex.

The ultimate life form caught sight of the Dark Portal far too late and as punishment for his carelessness, the sizzling, burning Chaos Spear that Mephiles had evaded by sucking it into one of his portals blazed out of the small black hole, heading straight for Shadow.

Quick to think about his own safety and not contemplating on whether or now it would leave him open to another attack from the side; the dark hedgehog summoned another sizzling Chaos Spear within his right hand, slicing the one he fired earlier clean in half right before it scorched his head.

There was a whoosh as black eyes widened to see a spiraling ball of purple and black energy heading straight for him. Noting that he couldn't use his already summoned attack to block again, he formed a second Chaos Spear within his left hand and destroyed the orb with an elegant slice.

'_There!'_ Mephiles screamed in his mind.

Shadow was now in the most vulnerable position. Both of his arms were crossed to form an "x" right above his head from so quickly disposing of the two attacks he had sent at him, leaving his core region completely exposed to another attack.

"**Nightmare Lance**!" the demon of time screamed out, his voice dripping with malice and blood lust as a spiraling funnel tipped sharply at the end sailed from his palm and towards Shadow's abdomen.

It was the exact same attack that he had used in Soleanna to spear Sonic the Hedgehog himself through the stomach. That, of course, caused Princess Elise to shed a tear, inadvertently releasing the Flames of Disaster and letting Mephiles rejoin with his more brutal half to become Solaris.

Inches before the spear of energy hit him, Shadow smirked darkly, his hands still blazing with the two Chaos Spears shooting down and grasping the attack right before it impaled him. Time itself stood still as Mephiles' mouth went agape out of pure shock.

There was absolutely no way he should be able to hold an attack based on pure energy. Right now, his Nightmare Lance should be scorching through skin, flesh, and bone and kill that damn hedgehog! Yet somehow, someway, Shadow had caught it.

"Now, Mephiles the Dark," Shadow hissed, letting the prolonged use of the Chaos form beginning to take its effects on his personality. "Make sure to greet my brother a few days from now since both of you will be burning in hell!"

Black energy coursed through his arms and hands like lightning, slithering and sparking along the Nightmare Lance like some sort of infectious disease.

"**Chaos Current**!"

The sparks and sizzles of energy engulfed Mephiles' attack completely before reaching the phantom himself, trapping him as if the attack consisted of a thousand snakes. There was an explosion, followed by a cloud of debris and a blood-chilling scream of pain.

Then there was silence.

Shadow lowered his arms, the wings on his back retracting into his back with a few cracks. Then the pure black fur receded as well, as if the Dark Emerald in his chest was some kind of sponge that sucked the tainted form away.

His eyes bled back into a dark crimson and the tainted jewel that had been bestowed on him throbbed once, twice, before disappearing. His breathing was not heavy, it was not shallow. It was as if the battle was mere child's play to him.

Slipping the long ivory coat back over his shoulders, the obsidian and vermilion hedgehog buttoned it up all the way, pulling the hood on the back over his head to hide his features. Just as his body finally submerged within the whiteness of the cloak, a soft platter hit his hood.

Looking up at the gray, swirling clouds hanging above, more rain drops fell until it grew into a steadily pouring rain. It was a cleansing that washed everything away. The battle, the evil, and the blood spilled. Everything gave way to the rain.

'_Just as the forthcoming storm, Mephiles has died. And just like the reality that another storm will mass above another day, so will Eclipse fall by my hands.'_

Garnet eyes scanned the surroundings once more before there was a sudden flutter of white fabric, a now all-too known trademark of the ultimate life form. Cutting through the rain as if it was falling in slow motion, Shadow the Hedgehog tore across the land, his jet shoes scorching wet earth.

Chaos Control wasn't going to work for what he had in mind and using his powers at this moment was far too inconvenient. Although he was tracking someone, he didn't know where they were. And the ones he was going to follow would pick up the energy trail immediately.

So, his best bet was to trail those who would undoubtedly find the location of Eclipse's master, the one Mephiles spoke of before. And when they found his loathsome brother, he would swoop in like a mighty bird of prey and take what was rightfully his.

His eyes narrowed slightly, the blurry field of green that were trees and shrubs flying by in the corner of his vision. In order to find his brother, he had to find the one by the name of Sarx. In order to find the one named Sarx, there was only one option to take.

He had to follow his former allies.

'_Sonic.'_

Actually joining up with them after what he had done was out of the question. Besides, he had no will or need to anyway. They were shadows of his past, cast away objects that he had no intention of retrieving.

The plan was set into motion. For the past two years, he had been carefully crafting and, part-by-part, executing it. Mephiles was defeated; he was no longer a threat to the planet. Now all that was left to do was to fulfill his goal, his purpose, and his reason.

Thunder cracked and white-hot bolts of lightning danced across the sky before the wind picked up substantially. Shadow came to a slow stop, his shoes deactivating. Traveling during a storm was a fool's thing to do.

Resting his crimson eyes upon a small shrubbery thickly covered with the protective branches and leaves of trees, the ultimate life form walked towards it before sitting down, one arm resting across his raised knee, the other leg and arm sprawled out.

Darkness soon overtook him. But this darkness was not malicious, it was not evil. It was soothing, relaxing, and peaceful. For the first time in over two years, Shadow the Hedgehog slept peacefully, not a worry or care on his mind.

* * *

Rain pounded mercilessly against the dark cloak of a lone robed figure, sitting on the roof of a large skyscraper overlooking a giant, dark city.

"Hm…I'll need another present."

* * *

_No matter how much darkness consumed him, he was always able to see the light! Check back next week for Chapter 53!_


	53. Encounter

**Chapter 53- Encounter**

Angel Island floated in the cool, sapphire sky peacefully. The ocean underneath it churned peacefully. Farther away, a storm raged on, but the mystical island in the sky remained untouched by nature's fury. It seemed like the perfect day.

But looks were deceiving.

Through all the sunshine, plentiful fruit and nature's beauty swarmed an evil uprising. Bolts of white light danced over the grassy ground on the very edge of the floating island, scorching the ground and grass to a deep ebony.

Then, in a flash, three hooded figures appeared. Two were adorned in midnight-black cloaks, hoods covering their faces. The third figure, the one in the center, was wearing a black cloak with a white flame design on it, adorning wide sleeves.

Unlike the others, he did not cover up his facial features at all. He was a wolf, going by the give-away looks of it. Shiny silver fur covered his skin and two bright sapphire eyes with a hint of amusement scanned the surroundings half-heartedly.

"So, this is the famous Angel Island?"

The figure to the left of the wolf huffed slightly. "We could have waited until the hedgehog and his friends were gone. It would've made things much easier."

"Nonsense," the wolf replied with a have of his hand, ruffling his strange looking cloak. "After all, we need the incarnations to fight Nova. Why would we release him and simply let him ravage the planet? There are much more complex goals that we want to accomplish."

"What about my brother?" the other figure, to the right of the wolf, asked in a rather apathetic voice.

The silver wolf smiled wickedly. "Don't worry about Shadow for now, Eclipse. He's on the way as we speak." He turned to his subordinate. "For your life."

The said hedgehog removed the hood covering his face. Indeed, as his master had said, there stood the infamous slayer of everyone aboard space colony Ark: Eclipse the Hedgehog. His silver eyes were as nonchalant and frightening as ever and his curved quills rustled in the soft breeze of the island.

"He will have it after my purpose is fulfilled."

* * *

Stretching his back with a bend of his body, Sonic the Hedgehog yawned slightly. This day. It had one of those lazy settings and general feelings. Usually that type of mood was reserved for Sundays but today was different. It seemed so peaceful, like nothing in the world could go wrong.

And that was exactly why the sea-furred hedgehog's eyes narrowed.

Bad things _always _happened on sunny, peaceful days like this. That's why everyone was always so unprepared, so caught off-guard. After all, it had been a quiet and peaceful day when Shadow abandoned them two years ago.

Gazing off towards the Master Emerald shrine, he spotted the ever faithful guardian of the powerful jewel sitting at its steps, an arm resting on one of his knees. Silver sat a few steps to the top of the echidna and to the obvious irritation of the psychic hedgehog; Blaze was actively conversing with Knuckles.

Tails was there as well, resting against one of the seven pillars around the shrine originally meant to hold the Chaos Emeralds. And while two of the pillars were occupied at the very top, five were missing their respective gems. Amy was on the other side of the pillar, also seeming to be dozing off.

Starting out in a brisk jog towards the shrine, Sonic noted Rouge and Tikal sparring close to them. Mild as it was, it was still training and they had the right idea; not something he could say for the rest of his comrades. Chaos was nowhere to be seen.

He froze in his tracks.

His body suddenly felt heavy, as if gravity had just multiplied itself ten-fold. Cyan-green eyes widened. For a burst of energy to be so strong as to actually weigh him down was a feat all in its own. He got that same feeling, although not as strong, when Shadow was gathering his new attack during their last encounter.

That meant that there was someone stronger than the infamous ultimate life form here on the island. And he was sure that he wasn't the only one who felt it. Managing to turn around, he spotted Knuckles, Tikal, Rouge, and Silver on their feet in alarm. Tails and Amy however, were on their hands and knees gasping for air.

He could imagine what it felt like: To be in the presence of someone so strong and with so much energy that the energy their bodies subconsciously released by instinct was enough to weigh those weaker than him down. It was an insane feeling.

For a split second, a white flash of light highlighted the air before subsiding. Turning around to face the origin of the flash, Sonic could have sworn his heart stopped. His eyes widened dangerously and his mouth hung wide open.

For there, not thirty yards from him, stood none other than Eclipse the Hedgehog, older brother of Shadow the Hedgehog.

It made no sense. Why was the hedgehog here and why now? Did he come for the Master Emerald again when he could have taken it so easily two years ago? What was the original ultimate life form's purpose on the island this time?

But that wasn't the whole of it. Accompanying the white and silver hedgehog was his partner, an auburn fox named Kakos that they had also encountered two years ago and another strange newcomer: a lead-colored wolf with sapphire eyes draped in a very strange cloak consisting of a black base with white flame markings.

Knuckles' eyes widened slightly. '_That cloak!'_

_Flashback_

_Knuckles' breath was short and clipped as he rounded another corner in the massive complex, closely followed by Rouge, Amy, Tikal, and Chaos. This entire place was like a maze. They had searched countless doors already, ran down dozens of corridors, without any results._

_Lanterns hung on the walls, evenly spaced out, that gave a soft, orange flow to the entire complex._

_It was like a graveyard, kind of creepy. But the crimson echidna did not worry about such trivial matters. Sonic had sent him to find Shadow, and that was exactly what he was going to do._

_He quickly rounded yet another corner, one without any kind of door, one that lead only straight ahead. Spotting a large, oak door at the end of the long hallway. His run did not break or falter as he burst through the large door, the others following him quickly._

_The echidna froze._

_It was a large, circular chamber not unlike the dome they had first entered, but it was much smaller with no opening at the top. The soft, eerie glow of the lanterns also illuminated this place, but the reason why Knuckles froze wasn't because of the similarity between the two places._

_It was the two cloaked figures standing in the middle of the chamber._

_Draped across their bodies were long, obsidian cloaks that reached down to just below their knees, exposing the rather bland looking black shoes they were wearing on their feet. _

_The cloaks seemed almost too large for the wearers, since they fit onto their bodies rather loosely, not giving any hint on the type of body structure of the two._

_The cloaks had long sleeves that were most definitely too long for the wearers since they completely covered their arms and hands. The ends of the sleeves were rather wide, adding to the loose style of the cloaks._

_The neck-portion of the cloaks had a similar design to them as the sleeves. The neck was wide, reaching to the spot where Knuckles guessed their chins were, effectively covering the lower portions of their facial features._

_Draped across their heads were large, loosely fitting hoods that masked the heads and top facial features of the two perfectly. All in all, not a single part of their bodies was exposed; it was all hidden by the strange-looking cloaks._

_But by far, the strangest characteristic on the supposedly obscuring cloaks was the white, flame-like patterns that covered them from top to bottom in an even rhythm, making about half of the cloak black and the other half white._

_End Flashback_

"My, my, the group's all here and ready I see," the silver wolf mused, his eerie blue eyes scanning over the alarmed heroes.

Sonic all but ignored the wolf, who, going by the formation they were in, was the leader of the group. He was completely focused on Eclipse. He just couldn't take his eyes off the white hedgehog. Everything about him drew Sonic's attention.

That apathetic look, that indifferent attitude, that insane power. But above all, he was the reason Shadow became who he was today. Eclipse was the one that split them apart. He committed that horrible act and Shadow now thirsted for vengeance.

It was all Eclipse's fault, absolutely everything.

"You," the azure hero hissed, pointing a finger at the silver-stripped hedgehog, "You're going to pay for what you did!"

Eclipse himself remained completely neutral at the threat but beside him, Kakos erupted into a fit of laughter.

"That's cute," the auburn fox snapped, "He actually thinks he can take you on, Eclipse."

"His strength has increased," the white hedgehog replied in a monotone voice. "Don't underestimate him or his comrades."

"You're gonna make me blush," Knuckles spat sarcastically, his eyes focused on the fox that took him down so easily two years ago.

"I suppose the echidna is still sour over me whopping his ass up and down every side of this island," Kakos remarked with a maniacal grin. "Not that it was a hard thing to do."

"_You son of a_--"

"Calm yourself, guardian," Tikal warned, her normally docile voice low and icy. "You know of their strength more than anyone." The princess turned towards the leader of the group. "You must be the one they call the reviver."

A smirk tugged its way to the edge of the wolf's lips. "As well informed as ever, Princess Tikal. The council must be getting a little jumpy up there. Perhaps entrusting the fate of this world to the seven beasts was a mistake."

"It is laughable for a mortal to question the judgment of the gods," the peach-furred echidna replied.

"As is the fact that your precious incarnations cannot even stand as one," the wolf taunted back. "The hound even went as far as to stab his fellow incarnations in the back."

Sonic's eyes narrowed instantly. '_Hound? Council? What the hell is this guy babbling about? All I know is that he must be referring to Shadow.'_

"You!" the azure hedgehog hissed, his emerald-green eyes focusing upon the leader of the trio. "What do you know about Shadow?"

The one clad in black and white redirected his gaze onto Sonic, eyebrows raised ever so slightly.

"I know all that there is to know about Dr. Gerald's little creation." He turned to Eclipse. "But if you really want to know about your treacherous little friend, why don't you talk to Eclipse here? I'm sure he knows what you want to find out. For instance, would you like to know how many humans he shot into space over fifty years ago? Or how about the method he used to kill Maria?"

There was a burst of air, a cloud of debris, and overturned rocks and earth. Sonic charged at the newcomer full-speed, going so fast that he felt his quills would be ripped straight from his skull. The blue hedgehog only saw red and the color of his orbs of vision reflected that perfectly. They had drowned into a bloody crimson, a premature sign of the Super form.

"Sonic!" Silver called frantically, but it was already too late.

"**You sick bastard**!" Sonic screamed at the top of his lungs, lunging straight for the silver wolf, who simply stood there and continued to smirk darkly.

Launching his fist straight for the wolf's face, the blue hero gasped when he came into contact with nothing more than air. Before his brain could even register what had happened, he felt something sharp come into contact with his cheek.

Acting on natural impulses alone, the super sonic hero jumped back, landing far away from the group of intruders and next to his own comrades. Lifting his fingerless, gloved hand to his cheek, his tan fingers felt something wet. Looking back down upon his retreating hand, he saw a warm, red liquid: blood.

'_That could have been my head if I wouldn't have moved in time.'_

"My, my," the silver wolf across from him mused, sheathing a slender, long silver sword with a black handle back into its holster on his hip. "Such a temper."

Rouge's eyes narrowed. '_A sword? He put it away too fast for me to identify it, smart move. But from what I picked up, it looked like a katana."_

Swinging his cloak back over the exposed white scabbard, the wolf smiled politely. "Next time I'll aim for your heart."

A wave of heat accompanied by a twisting, orange ball of fire shot through the air. The silver wolf cracked his head to the side just in time to avoid being scorched by it, although he still felt the immense heat of the fire ball warm his face.

"Damn," Blaze cursed, lowering her hand. Just another second or so and he would have been hit full-blast.

"A purple cat that uses fire?" Kakos asked with a toothy grin. "Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, Mephiles mentioned it once."

Sonic froze on the spot, along with Knuckles, Tikal, Rouge, Silver, Amy, Tails, and Blaze. Wide-eyed, the cobalt hedgehog opened his mouth to respond, but all that came out was a pathetic stutter. How did these guys know, let alone talk to Mephiles? Wasn't he the one that lured Shadow away from them in the first place?

Rouge's gaze hardened, shock washing away at a sudden resolution. For whatever reason, these guys had connections to the demon of time, which meant that they also had information about Shadow's whereabouts.

"You've talked to Mephiles before?" the treasure huntress asked carefully, wary not to reveal her intentions of finding the ultimate life form slip through.

Kakos laughed wickedly, his green eyes gleaming under the sun burning in the sapphire sky above. "Of course I have. After all, he is a member of--"

"_Silence_."

The auburn fox stopped talking immediately, his gaze traveling toward the one who had hissed at him so venomously. The silver wolf's eyes were practically burning a hole into Kakos and the black-robed intruder had to stop himself from wincing.

"You talk too much, Kakos," the figure in the black and white robe drawled, his voice having lost its icy edge. "It will cause your downfall one of these days."

"As much as I agree with that, you haven't answered the lady's question," Knuckles said, hiking a thumb back towards Rouge.

"There is no need to," the wolf replied evenly. "We did not come here to talk about such irrelevant things."

"Then what did you come here for, the Master Emerald?" Silver asked, hands curling into fists. He readied himself to call upon his psychokinetic powers at a moment's call.

The wolf chuckled lightly, eyes fixating on the shrine that the giant green emerald sat upon. "As tempting as it is to take that rock, my orders are of another kind."

"And what would those be?" Amy asked, her first vocal addition to the meeting. She and Tails had finally regained their composure after some struggling, although both their breathing was still rather shallow and heavy.

The robed leader smirked. "I've come for the seven Elemental Goblets under the shrine."

Out of all the things Sonic and the others figured the three mysterious intruders wanted, the goblets were definitely at the bottom of the list. For what purpose could anyone want those old goblets? All they did was make pretty colors.

But, these guys did have some connections with Mephiles and that meant that they had to question them thoroughly. A battle was imminent, and everyone on the island knew that as a fact.

"So," Sonic began casually, hands curling tightly into fists, "Who are you, anyway?"

Green met green.

"My name is Sarx. A pleasure to meet you, Sonic the Hedgehog."

* * *

_A powerful new enemy appears! Check back next week for Chapter 54!_


	54. Wrath of the Basilisk

**Chapter 54- Wrath of the Basilisk**

"Sarx?" Sonic echoed, the name of the robed figure immediately burned into his memory. It was a name he promised himself not to forget.

Sarx nodded curtly, vaguely reminding the heroes of an English-man with a strict set of manners. "Yes. But my interest lags more around you, Sonic. I've heard, read, and watched all about you; the hero of earth, the savior of humanity..." he trailed off, his eyes glinting "...and the victim of betrayal."

Try as he might, the blue speed demon could not prove the silver wolf wrong on those three facts. They all described him perfectly. He was a hero, he was a savior, and he was also the victim of Shadow's cold shoulder.

"But, I digress from my reason for being on this lovely island," the robed wolf said curtly, one foot wrapped in a standard black shoe lifting into the air and crashing back onto the ground, indicating a step taken forward. "If you would be so kind as to hand over the seven goblets, we shall be on our way without any unneeded violence or blood-shed."

"A little cocky, aren't you?" Blaze spat, fires beginning to ignite in her palms again.

"I wouldn't call it cockiness, little fire-demon," Sarx replied with a smile that seemed artificial and fake. "My powers outclass yours. Therefore, you should obey my orders. It's only the way Mother Nature intended this planet and its inhabitants to behave. Now please, step aside."

Rouge smiled sweetly. "As polite as you are, go to hell!"

Sarx's sapphire eyes landed on the bat. "Ah, the lovely Rouge if I recall. I've heard of you once or twice as well, a once famed rogue and treasure hunter, now an honorable agent of G.U.N. Not only that, but you also had a close connection to Shadow the Hedgehog."

The huntress' eyes widened slightly at the recall of that name from the lips of the wolf.

Another fake and polite smile. "Yes, of course. You wished so deeply for his affection, but he left you to rot while he went to avenge his beloved Maria. Don't you see, little white bat, that his heart still lives in the past with that girl?"

"Shut up," Rouge mumbled. It was a natural reaction, an instinct if you could call it. She really had nothing else to say. Sarx was right in every aspect of his analysis.

'**Pay no heed to that mortal!**' a voice inside the bat's head, a strong feminine one, roared. '**He only wishes to break your spirit.**'

"Oh, what a fool you were, little white bat," Sarx continued with that same enraging smile of innocence, "To think that you could win over the heart of an artificially created being, of an experiment. Surely you must know that the so called ultimate life form could never return your sentinel feelings of affections. He is a cold-hearted monster, after all."

'_He's right. He's absolutely right. I've been an idiot. We can't bring Shadow back; he doesn't even want to come back. He doesn't want heroism, Sonic...or me.'_

'**FOOL?**' the voice roared hatefully, energy spiking up through Rouge's body as a result. '**That pathetic wolf has crossed the line! He will pay severely for his words. Rouge, release the first stage. Use my powers on that devil!**'

'_I-I can't,'_ the bat stammered back. _'I don't have nearly enough training. Even if I released the first stage, I could only maintain your powers for a short time.'_

'**A short time is all that we will need, Rouge**,' the beast responded, more energy flaring throughout the bat's body. '**Search your mind and soul for the source to my power and unleash me**!'

_

* * *

_

Water dripped from an unknown source, hitting an unknown surface in the inky darkness of the huntress' mind.

_Plop. _

_Plop. _

_Plop. _

_Over and over again, like a broken record, the water fell. A brief shimmer of the single droplet illuminated the space before it went pitch-black again._

_Through the darkness of her own mind walked Rouge the Bat. Her skin tingled with a strange sense of fear and coldness as she feebly rubbed her upper arms in an attempt to warm up her body. But the coldness was a good thing. It meant she was getting closer to the source of the ancient power that was bestowed upon her._

_Finally, as if appearing out of nowhere, a large mirror stood before her, its size dwarfing the huntress. The bat hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do before two slitted green eyes appeared through the darkness behind the mirror._

"_**You are the wielder, Rouge. Do not fear your own powers, do not fear me. I shall grant you the strength you will need to overcome your obstacles, to save the one you love. Your heart is strong, but your will to fight is weak. You need more motivation, young Rouge."**_

"_I-I'm trying," the white bat stammered., "I just..."_

"_**You do not wish to harm anyone? Peculiar, seeing as how you have fought in battles many times before."**_

_Rouge bit her lip, eyes traveling to the non-existent ground. "But those fights were on orders. They had nothing to do with me. Besides, Sonic and the others are better suited to take these guys on."_

_A sigh. _

"_**You must learn how to fight, even if your emotions and feelings are involved, young bat. I realize that this must be difficult, but how could you ever hope to bring back the one of ebony and crimson if you cannot take a stand here? A fight with the Hound is inevitable as well, and you must participate. Here is his brother and your chance; take it!"**_

_There was a moment of silence before the bat's eyes traveled towards the mirror. Startling her slightly, a large crack cut across the glass suddenly and without warning. Rouge's eyes widened for a moment before she felt the sapphire blue energy of her beast beginning to envelop her like a blanket._

"_**Fight with your heart, Rouge the Bat! Use my powers, the powers of the serpent of the seas, the Basilisk!"**_

"_Yes..."_

"_**Fight, knowing that it will lead you to the one you love!"**_

"_Shadow...this is for you..."_

"_**Bring honor to my name and to yours. You are strong, young bat; now unleash your wrath upon your enemies!"**_

_Rouge's emerald eyes narrowed. "Yes!"_

* * *

There was a whoosh that slipped through the air like a cool breeze. A blanket of cool blue water poured around Rouge's body, surrounding her entire form and outlining it to the curve. The water molded into the form of a snake, a long, slender tail extending from the bat's lower back. Even though she was surrounded by the liquid, neither Rouge nor her clothes got wet.

The famed treasure huntress' head shot up, her emerald-green eyes slitted like those of a snake. "I will prove myself, to you and to Shadow!"

Sarx raised a brow, seemingly amused. "Ah, the little white bat has tapped into the powers of the Basilisk. Very interesting, perhaps I can spare her a moment after all."

"Rouge," Knuckles called, raising a hand. "Don't do--"

"Let her," Sonic cut in, eyes focused completely on the bat.

The echidna's violet eyes widened. "What are you, high? We couldn't beat these guys two years ago when there were two of them, and now there are three!"

"She is an incarnation, Knuckles," the sapphire hedgehog responded. "It's time we started treating her like one. Let her prove herself here."

Rouge smirked, the twisting blue form of the serpent of water twisting around her body. "Now, Sarx the Reviver, get ready."

Sarx smiled politely. "Always a pleasure to spar with a lovely lady."

She took off, leaving wet, uprooted grass and overturned dirt in her wake. Feeling the powers of the sea serpent boiling within her body like molten rock, Rouge sliced her arm through the air, sending a giant black wave of energy directly at Sarx.

The lead-furred wolf's fake smile never wavered as he leaped high into the air to avoid the attack. Eclipse simply blinked away in a flash of white light and Kakos rolled to the side. The wave of energy ripped through Angel Island's flesh and skin like a knife cutting through paper, sending grass and dirt into the air.

The treasure huntress cursed slightly, also leaping into the air, her black and violet wings outlined in a bubbling, sapphire blue pool flapping to keep her body airborne. Not wasting anytime whatsoever, Rouge made a bee-line for Sarx, sending two more waves of black energy at him.

Sarx continued to smile, unsheathing his sword with lightning fast speed and parrying both waves of energy, sending them into the nearby forest to splinter and destroy a couple of trees. But that little distraction was what Rouge wanted.

Before the reviver could so much as gasp, the bat was upon him, grabbing him by the collar of his strange cloak and flipping his body around so his head was facing the ground. Rouge followed suite, wrapping her water-outlined arms securely around his body and beginning to spin her own.

"**Corkscrew Piledriver!**" Rouge bellowed, slamming the rotating body of Sarx into the earth, releasing him a millisecond after doing so in order to avoid receiving any damage from her own attack.

The ground itself shook violently from the force of the impact as Rouge landed gracefully on her feet, staring at the cloud of dirt that now occupied the space above the point of impact. She had hoped that she would get a chance to use that technique soon. It was by far her most devastating physical move.

"Way to go, Rouge!" Sonic cheered.

The huntress smiled slightly, but then froze as the debris cleared out of the air. A large arm that seemed to be composed of earth, dirt, and grass was sticking out of the ground, securely holding a still very much alive Sarx in the palm of its hand.

The wolf sat on the palm of the earth hand, which was roughly ten feet in length and width with one arm draped over his knee, that furiously annoying smile still plastered on his face, his sword in his other hand.

Rogue gasped. "How did you--"

Sonic's eyes, as well as those of his friends, widened as well. "What the hell is that thing?"

"My, my," Sarx mused, standing to his full height on the earth hand's palm. "Such a ferocious attack for such a delicate little creature. Wouldn't you agree, Kakos?"

That's when they noticed it: The one responsible for summoning the earth arm to save Sarx from receiving damage from Rouge's attack. Kakos the Fox was on one knee, his right arm dug into the soil of Angel Island. It only made sense. The fox's arm was submerged in the ground and a giant replica shot out of it.

"You see," Sarx continued, hopping down from the earth hand. "Kakos has the extremely unique ability to manipulate the earth at his will. He can form objects, even replicate his own body parts, and soften or harden the soil."

"So that's how you're still breathing," Silver cut in. "He caught you with that arm and softened the soil around you!"

"Precisely," the wolf replied. "It was like falling onto a pile of leaves, although I am a little wet."

Deciding not to take anymore chances and finding that leaving everything solely up to Rouge was idiotic, Silver's right hand began to glow bright neon, encasing a patch of earth with the same color before it was ripped out of the ground and hauled at Sarx.

The time-traveling hero gasped when Eclipse appeared in his line of fire in a white flash of light, nonchalantly stretching one arm out.

"Chaos Shield."

Silver energy funneled down the white hedgehog's cloaked arm, erupting from his palm and morphing into a half-sphere of protective energy around his body. The large chunk of earth that Silver threw at Sarx bounced off the energy shield harmlessly, bursting into a downfall of rocks and grass.

_'There's my chance!' _Rouge gasped in her mind, seeing Shadow's homicidal brother appear back on the scene.

Not thinking of any kind of battle strategy, the treasure huntress charged forward just as the silver-stripped hedgehog lowered his arm, the silver shield of protective energy disappearing into the air. She faintly heard her friends calling her name, but it didn't matter.

Nothing else mattered. All she knew was that this was her chance to cause harm to Eclipse, the one who caused everything bad to happen, the one who made Shadow betray her.

The swirling blue form of the Basilisk curled around her madly, the long slender tail of the snake-like outline of energy slashing the ground behind her and uprooting wet earth and grass. Rouge released a mighty battle cry, reminiscent of an Amazon warrior charging headstrong into battle against a foe who she knew was far superior.

How accurate that analogy was.

'_This is all for you, Shadow.'_

_Flashback_

"_...Forgive me."_

_Aquamarine eyes widened again. His words were as cryptic as an ancient Echidna text. Meaning was hidden, reason was dispersed. Before she could say anything to him, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, accompanied by a soft thud._

"_Shadow," the bat whispered weakly, her sight and her world beginning to darken._

_End Flashback_

Amy's eyes widened out of complete shock. What was Rouge thinking? She was charging straight for Eclipse!

"Rouge!" the rose hedgehog called out, but nothing could stop the huntress now.

Her mind was set, her intentions were clear. She would kill Eclipse the Hedgehog, Shadow's older brother, the murderer of everyone aboard the Ark. It was all for him. It was funny, really, how things turned out the way they did.

Shadow's actions were all because of Eclipse, the white hedgehog's intentions were all for some strange, maniacal cause, and Rouge's intentions were all for Shadow. It was like a broken cycle, continuing without any stop in sight.

"You mustn't!" Tikal screamed frantically before her eyes landed on Sonic. "Stop her! She will die!"

Sonic cursed under his breath. The huntress was already within ten feet of the white hedgehog. There was only one way to stop her in time. But, Eclipse was most likely to attempt an attack right around the time in which he would appear.

_'That doesn't matter,' _the sea-blue hedgehog decided in his mind. _'I've gotta save Rouge!'_

Eclipse's half-lidded, ragingly impassive lead-colored eyes landed on the charging white bat surrounded by a shield of snake-shaped water. That look sent shivers down her spine. But she ignored it.

Just like she ignored her friend's frantic calls...

Just like she ignored Shadow's cold, piercing red eyes darting through her mind again and again...

And just like she ignored the ball of spiking silver energy that Eclipse was gathering within his right palm.

"Foolish little bat," the eldest ultimate life form muttered impassively, indifferently releasing the meager-sized ball of concentrated energy.

The silver ball, surrounded by sparking and dancing bolts of white energy, flew at the huntress faster than she expected it to, creating a loud whizzing noise as it past through the air. There was also way more power concentrated into it than she expected.

And, to add the icing to the top of the cake that marked her doom, the swirling mass of sapphire-blue energy-water surrounding her decided to fade away into nothingness at that very moment, leaving the huntress completely vulnerable.

Rouge could only watch in horror as the spiraling ball of lightning-like energy headed straight towards her, a mere arm's reach away from scorching her body...

...Before a mass of blurry blue and beige jumped into her line of sight, outlined by the light given off the attack. The very next moment, there was an explosive sound, followed by the blood-chilling scream of whom she knew was Sonic the Hedgehog.

* * *

_A hero unlike any other, Sonic the Hedgehog. Check back next week for Chapter 55!_


	55. Devil Doom Rises Again

**Chapter 55 - Devil Doom Rises Again**

Rouge could've sworn her heart stopped.

That scream, that pain-filled scream chilled her to the soul. Every other sound was muted from her ears. All she heard was the scream of her companion, as if the gods themselves were playing some kind of cruel prank on her.

But then, much to her relief, the temporary stand-still of time ceased before a heavy thud echoed through the air. The wind rustled the hair around her face, swaying with a lady-like grace.

Her gem-green eyes were wide with shock.

Pure and utter shock.

Because the bloody heap that was Sonic the Hedgehog was lying on the ground on front of her, completely motionless, his shoulder still actually smoldering from being hit by Eclipse's devastating attack.

That's when the realization of her actions and her consequences hit her full force. She had charged at Eclipse recklessly, blindly. He had summoned the first offensive attack she had ever seen him use, and Sonic jumped into the line of fire just in time to stop from getting her killed.

She was a fool, a complete and utter fool. She should have realized that the white hedgehog was way out of her league. After all, he was the one Shadow was training to kill. Even with the first stage of the Basilisk's powers, there was no way in hell she could have won against the first ultimate life form.

"How admirable," Sarx said with a fake smile, shattering Rouge's thoughts like glass being hit by a cannon ball. "He jumped in front of Rouge, taking the hit for her. Courageous and admirable, but foolish."

"Sonic," the snow-white bat whispered, tears brimming on the corners of her vision. No, she couldn't cry. Not here, not now. What happened to the strong and independent Rouge that didn't give a damn about anyone?

Well, she died a long time ago.

"**Sonic**!" Rouge screamed at the top of her lungs, getting up and dashing towards the fallen hedgehog. She skidded to his side on her knees, ignoring the pain from doing so.

Roughly raising the hero's head into her lap, the huntress began to gently slap against his cheek with her palm. "Wake up, Sonic! Wake up!"

Her eyes traveled to his wound, the one she had caused, and she could no longer withhold the tears. They began flowing freely from her eyes, released by the broken barrier she had set up. Like two long lines of crystal, the slithered over her cheeks and dropped off her chin.

She nearly fainted at the sight of the smoldering black and red hole in the blue hedgehog's left shoulder. It was still giving off fumes, but there was no blood. It had all been boiled into vapor.

The pain of the wound had caused the blue hero to pass out.

Amy stood, frozen still like a solitary and lonely rose in a field covered in snow. She ignored her friends and comrades rushing past her, bellowing for her to follow them. They were racing towards Rouge and the fallen Sonic. This she knew.

But she couldn't move. She couldn't do anything. Her hero, her beloved, had just sacrificed his body to save her best friend. There was sadness, but there was also a strange sense of jealousy.

The way Sonic had rushed in without a moment's notice to save Rouge, the way he always treated her so kindly. It was making her...jealous. Strange, how now and at this very inconvenient time, her feelings were beginning to manifest.

She should be there with the rest of them. Tikal and Rouge were cradling Sonic's body; Tails, Knuckles, Silver, and Blaze were standing in front of them protectively in case the enemies decided to attack once more.

It had always been like that: Sonic's selflessness towards Rouge, but...why?

_Flashback_

"_Rouge," Sonic murmured, unable to come up with anything else to say to the bat after he had failed and broken his promise to her._

_The huntress smiled brightly, shrugging her body off the door frame, and strolled into the room. "I'm glad you're okay, Sonic."_

_The clicking sounds of her heels were like gongs that filled the air when midnight reigned over the air to Sonic. With each step she took, his frown get deeper and his head lowered more. He knew she was trying poorly to cover up her sadness with her fake smile._

_He could see right through the huntress. He was ashamed. How could he have failed? He had promised Rouge that he would bring his counterpart back with all of his might, so why was he here alone?_

"_Rouge," the blue blur repeated, catching her attention, his voice heightening, "I tried as hard as I could! I'm sorry, I…" his voice dropped a pitch "…I failed you."_

_The albino bat's smile faded away into a look of deep contempt as the injured hedgehog before her continued. "But don't worry! I'm not done yet! As soon as I get outta here, I'll go follow Shadow again!"_

_Then, touching her heart in a way no one else had in a long time, he gave her one sign:_

_A smile._

_The bat could do nothing else but smile genuinely. Here Sonic was, in the hospital, with multiple injuries after just having been beaten by Shadow and he still had that same selfless attitude, promising he would fulfill what he had started._

_And at that very moment, Rouge realized that Shadow was going to be home, and that Sonic was the one who was going to bring him there._

_Not beginning to being able to fathom the kindness the blue hedgehog was showing her, she did the only thing she could think of doing._

"_Thank you."_

_End Flashback_

Amy shook her head violently. No, Rouge and Sonic weren't like that. It was because of Rouge's strong feelings for Shadow. Sonic was the only one who could bring the black hedgehog back to the bat, so they would naturally have a close relationship.

Besides, there was no time to ponder over these things now. Her cyan-green eyes caught the tattered red cloth tied around her left arm. The one Sonic had lost in his fight against Chaos, the one she had kept for him.

It was a symbol. He had not asked for it back, he had willingly let her keep it. It was enough for the rose hedgehog.

Then, Amy took off at full speed, coming to Sonic's side and cooing him with soft and gentle words.

"As touching as all of this is," Kakos sneered, "We have some business to attend to." His eyes fixed upon Knuckles, who had strangely become a sort of rival to him in his mind. "Move yourself and your worthless friends out of the way."

The red echidna smirked. "I'll say it a third time: When hell freezes over."

The auburn fox chuckled, curling up the sleeve of his black coat, exposing his right arm. Knuckles' violet eyes widened when a brown, rock-like substance slithered down from the fox's shoulder to his finger tips, covering every inch of his arm and hand within the rock.

"Don't make this more difficult than it should be, Knuckles," Kakos smirked, curling his rock hand into a fist, pebbles shedding from the rock and falling into the grass on which he stood.

"It's Master Emerald guardian to you, shit-bag," the warrior spat back, taking a step forward as if to accept Kakos' challenge.

Kakos smirked darkly, waving his rocky index finger. "Such language _Knuckles_. You should watch it in front of the ladies."

"Up yours, you son of a bitch!" Amy screeched, coming to the echidna's side.

Sarx chuckled. "What a fine vocabulary you have, young lady."

"Enough talking!" Silver spat, his hands beginning to take a tinge of neon. "I'm going to pound all of you into the ground, one-by-one!"

Faster than Blaze could protest, her naïve young friend shot forward, his entire body glowing neon green from his activated powers. Silver shot past Knuckles and Amy, making a bee line straight for Kakos.

The fox's dark smirk arched up even further before he raised his rocky arm high into the air with a mighty pull. The ground of Angel Island began to rumble before a large chunk of earth shot out of the ground right before Kakos' feet, creating a solid wall of earth at least twenty feet high.

Silver cursed, but did not break his charge. His eyes traveled back towards the group to see Blaze firing up her arms, hot flames consuming them both. Eclipse remained impassive, simply leaping to the side in order to avoid being caught in the cross fire, Sarx following suite.

With a wave of his right hand, a ball of pressurized green air manipulated by Silver's psychic powers slammed into the earth wall, creating a large round hole big enough for him to pass through.

Once again summoning upon his powers, the white hedgehog ripped the wall in half, both sides of now unearthed rock floating in the air before he clapped his hands together, sending both chunks directly down on where he knew Kakos to be.

Silver stopped in his charge, his feet gently tapping onto the grassy surface of Angel Island but his body retained the neon green tinge that signaled his powers were still fully activated. A wave of heat passed by, courtesy of a large ball of fire that collided with the heap of rock Kakos was buried beneath, setting it off in an elegant display of dancing flames.

Blaze was beside the white hedgehog, both of her arms still alive with hell fire. "Don't rush in like that again. We don't know what these guys are capable of."

Silver waved if off, his eyes still fixated on the flaming pile of rubble. "I did the right thing. We just took down one of them. Now there are only two left."

"Tch, as if!"

Both pairs of brilliant golden eyes widened at the sound of the voice before they heard Amy's voice scream frantically: "Look out! He's behind you!"

Everything went black for Silver the next instant. The neon green energy swirling madly around his hands disappeared in an instant, like a candle blown out by a gale of frosty air. The white hedgehog dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, eyes wide and blank, before he fell forward onto his face, not budging an inch.

Blaze gasped, spinning her body around just in time to see a large, brown, stone fist soaring at her. Hastily pointing both of her flame-lit hands towards the ground open-palmed, the fire-wielder shot two large fire balls from her hands, the back-kick provided by the attack sending her into the air and out of Kakos' deadly reach.

The fire produced from her hands scorched the ground and burned the green grass to a crisp. Kakos' eyes traveled into the air to follow the purple feline, his mouth reversing into a small frown. "No fair. I can't jump that high!"

Knuckles' eyes scanned over the area. Kakos was preoccupied with Blaze, but Sarx and Eclipse were both still on their guard. If he wanted to land a solid hit on one of them, he couldn't have the other two interfering.

It was too bad that Sonic and Silver were both down for the count. Neither the blue nor the white hedgehog had moved yet after having taken those attacks. His only option was to somehow distract Eclipse and Sarx, and then he could land a ferociously devastating attack on the already battling Kakos.

Tikal's aquamarine eyes sharpened. "I know what you plan to do, guardian. Let me be the one to cause the distraction."

The crimson echidna was momentarily shocked by the princess' selfless offer, but the idea of considering that option washed away as he went over the facts again in his head. Eclipse, by himself, easily took down Shadow powered by the Dark Emerald two years ago and Sarx nearly decapitated Sonic.

There was no way he could let Tikal risk her safety like that. So, Knuckles shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea, Princess Tikal. They're both far too strong."

Tikal smiled, her sea-blue eyes beginning to glow unnaturally, giving them the looks of two cobalt light bulbs. "You underestimate me, guardian."

Before Knuckles could utter a word of protest, she took off in a blaze of speed, summoning long blue shafts of energy from her hands and volleying them at Eclipse and Sarx. Amy and Rouge watched on wide-eyed. Never once during their two years of training had Tikal ever shown such ferocity in her attacks.

Noticing the attacks before they were even launched at him, Eclipse took a step in front of Sarx, once again raising his right hand, a silver shield of defensive energy materializing before his palm before stretching out like rubber.

The blue energy bolts bounced off the shield harmlessly, steaming into nothingness. Tikal's charge did not waver as she fired another volley of energy blasts, all having the same effect as the last set. Sarx remained relatively quiet behind Eclipse's protective shield, merely quirking an eyebrow at the princess' attacks.

Knuckles shook his head roughly, remembering why Tikal was doing what she was. It was to provide a distraction. His eyes traveled to Kakos and Blaze. The fox clearly had the upper hand, swinging his massive stone arm into the ground, cracking craters into it, and into trees, splintering the bark and felling it, while Blaze gracefully dodged each blow.

'_Now! This is my chance!'_

Stretching his right arm out in front of him in a horizontal position and placing his left hand over his right forearm, Knuckles' brows furrowed in concentration. Sky-blue sparks of energy began zapping over his arm occasionally. Gritting his teeth, the echidna warrior thrust more energy into his self-inflicting attack, the result being his arm getting covered in a sea of dancing blue energy resembling lighting.

The white bandages wrapped around his burned arm scorched and sizzled away under the heat and pressure of the powerful attack. Feeling the white-hot energy beginning to burn away at his skin and flesh, Knuckles' face contorted into a look of pain, his left eye clamping shut. As he removed his left hand from his arm, sweeping the deadly attack behind his body, he took off at full speed.

"**Raikou**!"

Dreadlocks waving around furiously from the wind fluttering around his face, continuous booms shot through the air, originating from the echidna's newest attack as it tore the ground below him wide upon from being too close to the heat and energy.

Knuckles' sights focused solely on Kakos, the warrior pushed another reserve of his energy into the attack, brightening the light being given off by it as well as the already overwhelming heat. His loud battle-cry echoed through the air again and again as he neared his target, who was still preoccupied with Blaze.

"**Kakos, you moron!**" Sarx screamed, having noticed Knuckles' attack. He tossed the limp form of Tikal into the dirt behind him, the female's body littered with gashes and blood, her clothes torn and ripped.

"**The echidna is coming up behind you!**" he yelled.

But it was too late for the auburn-colored fox. Shifting his head, his cerulean-blue eyes wide with shock and fear, he could only stare hopelessly at the charging Knuckles. It was too late to dodge. The echidna was already too close.

Blaze smirked, jumping back a few meters as to not get hit and scooping up the fallen Silver, leaping into the air again and landing safely next to Amy and Rouge, laying the white hedgehog in her arms next to Sonic.

Reeling his right arm forward, Knuckles' mighty attack thundered in anticipation as the echidna stretched his arm forward as far as it would go, sending his entire body into the attack. He had turned himself into a deadly, lightning-tipped arrow.

Kakos' fear-stricken face was illuminated by the light blue waves of energy given off by the sparks around the guardian's arm. He knew he was finished. There were so many techniques he had, but none of them could prevent this so quickly.

Then, a black and red blur lunged itself out of seemingly nowhere, ramming its bulky shoulder into Kakos' own, sending him to left just in time for the Raikou to grasp hold of the fox's stony right arm and tear it apart in a blaze of blue fire.

An explosion shook the air, rumbling the entire island to its core. A bright white light erupted into the scene, momentarily blinding all who were watching the display. It cleared after a few moments, letting the sight set in.

A large, smoldering crater outlined by rocks was carved into the ground of Angel Island. At the center of the stony crater stood Knuckles, his breath heavy and ragged, his right arm, now completely exposed to the fingertip, giving off waves of smoke.

He had missed. Somehow, as if by some mighty intervention of fate, something had moved Kakos to the side in time in order to save him. Not saying the fox got away unscathed, though.

Kakos stood a couple of feet away from the echidna, his back hunched forward, blood seeping from his lips and nose down to his chin, staining his auburn fur orange. The right sleeve of his black cloak was smoldering, account of the fact that Knuckles' Raikou had blown the fox's arm into oblivion, sleeve, rock, and all.

Luckily for Kakos, the intense heat of the attack prevented any blood loss from the arm, which would have surely resulted in his death. Green eyes wary and half-lidded, he turned to his savior, who laid face-first in the dirt.

Or what was left of his savior, which was the top black and red half of a Black Arms soldier.

Knuckles' eyes doubled in size at the sight of the creature, his mouth unable to find the right words. '_A Black Arms soldier? Here? Now? Hadn't they all been wiped out by Shadow?'_

Sarx, still on one knee with a single palm pressed firmly onto the ground, released a small sigh, a strange blue circle where his palm had been disappearing. "You really are foolish, Kakos. A couple more seconds and that would have been your heart."

Then there was the sound of flapping wings from above.

A large shadow began to descend on Angel Island, giving a hint to the mass of the creature the shadow belonged to. The flapping got louder and louder, as did the shadow.

Everyone, even the now semi-conscious Sonic and Silver, raised their heads and looked into the sky, which was beginning to take a crimson taint. For upon the heroes of Angel Island descended a giant, winged devil, thought to be dead. He was the conqueror of planet Earth, the father of Shadow the Hedgehog.

The winged beast released a mighty, earth-shaking roar.

He was Devil Doom, Black Doom's monstrous true form.

* * *

_Evil rises once again! Check back next week for Chapter 56!_


	56. War on the Island in the Sky

**Chapter 56- War on the Island in the Sky**

Sonic's bloody face was plastered into a look of shock. His mouth went completely dry, his weak green eyes widening. There was no way. There was absolutely no way. That couldn't possibly be Devil Doom descending its monstrous form upon them.

But logic seemed to be on vacation at the time.

It was indeed the giant, red, winged, double-headed, foul beast Shadow had vanquished at the end of the Black Arms invasion. The fire-breathing alien-overlord that had tried to enslave all of humanity was once again among the living.

The island shook to its core as the mighty beast roared once more. Sonic's ears started to ring at the continuous, booming voice of the devil.

At last, Devil Doom hovered above the trees of Angel Island, the one eye on the front of his body focusing on the fallen Sonic. "**You look as pathetic as ever, blue hedgehog.**"

The back eye scanned over Sarx, Eclipse, and Kakos, the latter of which was holding his right shoulder to which his arm used to be connected. "**I don't recognize any of you, who are you?**"

"Your new master," Sarx replied without missing a beat, his sapphire blue eyes focused on the beast hovering above.

Devil Doom threw back his large head and laughed. "**My master? Foolish little wolf, I am my own master.**"

"Not anymore," the lead-colored wolf replied, his eyes narrowing. "I resurrected you, therefore it is within contract that you must serve me."

Now fully turning his body towards Sarx with two mighty flaps of his giant wings, the beast hissed. "**What is this contract of which you speak**?"

"A natural one," the reviver replied. "One of nature. The one who brings back the fallen gains their free will to mold as they please. You and your kind now belong to me."

"**And what if I refuse?**"

Sarx lifted his arm, pointing at the stoic white hedgehog next to him. "I'll have Eclipse decapitate you."

Doom's single eye widened slightly. "**He's here, now?**"

"Yes, as you can see, Eclipse is here and more than ready to strike down any defiant servants," Sarx replied.

Silence washed over the fear-striking scene for a moment before Devil Doom chuckled. "**Very well, master, I shall obliterate these vermin for you. I require some of my men to do that, however.**"

The lead-colored wolf slammed his palm to the ground. Twenty glowing, blue circles on the ground surrounded him, giving off an eerie sapphire glow. Then, twenty shadows began to rise out of the circles, their appearances hidden by the bright blue light.

Knuckles' eyes widened. "No way! Those look like Black Arms soldiers!"

The guardian was right.

Out of the twenty blue circles emerged twenty soldiers of the Black Arms army, all Devil Doom's children. The worst part of it was that fifteen of them were golden-armored elites with high-powered laser firearms while the other five were massive Black Oaks covered in silver armor, each wielding devilish purple swords.

The light Sarx has been producing disappeared just as quickly and mysteriously as it had come. "There. They should suffice."

"**Indeed**," Doom chuckled, earning the attention of his soldiers, who all quickly dropped to one knee and bowed their heads to their master and father.

"**Rise, my children!**" the winged demon roared with an uplift of his palm. The soldiers obeyed completely, all of them rising to their full height.

"I'll leave the rest to you, Doom," Sarx said with a smile, his head turning into the direction of the Master Emerald shrine. "I have other things that need my attention."

He stopped suddenly, a throbbing pain shooting through his chest. Lurching forward, the wolf raised a hand to his mouth, coughing into it violently. After a few moments, he lowered his hand, staring at the blood in his palm disapprovingly.

'_Damn it, my body can't give out now!'_

Doom's large crimson eye scanned over the warriors before him again. The white hedgehog was semi-unconscious, the blue one had a hole in his shoulder, the purple feline seemed ready for battle, the female echidna was torn up, the male echidna's right arm was boiling, the bat was tending to the blue one, and the pink one was no threat at all, neither was the yellow fox.

"**This will be quite easy,**" the winged devil chuckled, lifting his arm up to a vertical position, pointing a single finger at the group. "**Return the favor they so graciously gave us, my children: A one-way ticket into oblivion!**"

At the command of their master, the fifteen golden-armored elites shot forward, their guns at the ready, their bodies continuously switching positions in their charge with the power of Chaos Control. The five Black Oaks lumbered after their brothers heavily, dragging their massive swords through the earth, tearing a clear path to their destination.

Rouge's eyes narrowed, lifting up Sonic's head before placing it back onto the soft grass. '_Looks like the guys are down and out.' _Her eyes shifted, scanning the remaining combat-available people they had left. '_Only Blaze, Amy, Tails, and myself are left. It looks like that's all we've got to work with right now.' _

Nodding at her two female companions, all three rose to their feet in perfect unison. Rouge pulled a few explosives out of her suite, holding them firmly between her fingers. Blaze's arms flashed with twisting flames, her stance crouched. Tails produced a small, red energy-rifle.

Amy reached into her large back pouch, pulling out her newest weapon. Three separate, sky-blue battle staffs made out of what looked to be hollowed steel. With two clicks, the pink hedgehog joined the three staffs into one, its full length at almost five feet.

Her small, black-gloved hands were shaking.

She wasn't ready for this. The Black Arms had given Shadow, the ultimate life form, a run for his money a couple of years ago. How could she be on par with them?

"Amy!" Rouge's firm voice snapped the pink hedgehog out of her train of thought.

Amy looked her friend in the eye, noticing that the ivory huntress was smiling at her. "Don't worry, Amy. We'll protect you."

Blaze nodded, throwing a fire ball at the advancing Elites. "Count on it! I won't let them hurt you!"

The ball of flames hit nothing but grass and dirt, the Elite it was aimed at having warped out of the way in the blink of an eye. The violet-furred feline cursed under her breath, chugging another flame ball, this time at a Black Oak.

The lumbering giant raised his purple sword out of the earth, chunks of dirt and grass still clinging to the edge of the blade, before he swung it horizontally with surprising speed, slashing the fire ball in half.

Tails opened fire as well, his rapid barrage of red laser blasts sailing through the air and providing the perfect cover for Rouge.

Rouge, noticing that her friend's attacks weren't having too much of an effect, charged forward headstrong, her lungs releasing a mighty battle cry. The wind was zipping by her sensitive ears, causing a whistling sound to ring in them.

Quickly avoiding an energy ray fired at her by one of the Elites, the huntress performed an elegant back-flip over her enemy, dropping a single bomb on the alien warrior. Landing on the ground, Rouge rolled out of the way of another energy ray, the grass scorching with heat at the point of impact before tossing another bomb at the second Elite.

A moment passed before both bombs went off in unison, the painful cries of the Black Arms soldiers hit with the attacks mixing with the two simultaneous booms. Smirking to herself, the ivory bat threw her last two bombs at the feet of three other Elites heading her way.

Exploding with two loud booms, the explosions sent grass and dirt into the air, obscuring the vision of the Black Arms Elites. Taking the opportunity created by the distraction, Rouge pulled forth three sharp, silver daggers, hurling them into the smoke screen.

Metal met flesh with three thuds, followed by louder ones produced by the bodies of the Elites hitting the floor.

Devil Doom, who was observing the battle from high above, sneered. '**That bat took out five of my best soldiers? She wasn't this strong when I invaded Earth. Perhaps...**'

Three more Elites and one Black Oak fell from the fire of Tails' gun before the remaining soldiers stopped dead in their tracks, not advancing any further. Tails, Blaze, and Rouge, slightly confused, paused as well.

Then the massive form of Devil Doom came into their lines of sight as he descended upon them to hover above the ground and behind his children.

His massive, echoing voice rang through the air. "**Now I know why you all have changed, why you have improved so much. It has something to do with my son, doesn't it?**"

Rouge and Sonic winced.

Doom's keen crimson eye did not miss the reaction of the two. "**So, where is my dear little Shadow?**" His voice broke into a crackle. "**Surely he did not betray you, did he?**"

"Shut up!" Blaze roared, hurling a flame ball at the overlord, who merely swatted it away with the back of his massive hand.

The winged demon chuckled again. "**He really did, didn't he? After refusing my offer to dominate this pathetic word, he ended up turning his back on it anyway. I must say, my son surprised me, especially the part of aligning himself with the demon of time.**"

Rouge's green eyes widened. "How do you know about Mephiles?"

"**My dear girl, surely you don't believe that the afterlife is void. Even though I was condemned to punishment, I could still see what was happening to my son. He aligned himself with Mephiles, betrayed you, all to kill his brother, correct**?"

The bat gulped, nodded, but then her face fell into shock. "Wait! If you know about Eclipse, then why did you tell Shadow that G.U.N. killed Maria?"

The winged monster erupted into a fit of demoniacal laughter. "**You are so naïve, little white bat. Did you truly believe Shadow would have considered aiding my cause if he knew that it was his brother, not G.U.N., that slaughtered his beloved Maria? He would have run off to look for Eclipse immediately after hearing of him, and would have gotten killed.**"

He paused, letting the word sink in, before he continued. "**One simple word, bat: Manipulation. I needed Shadow's aid in my crusade against the humans. I needed him to hate them, to despise them, to the point where he wanted to exterminate them. I fed him the lie that the humans came up with to protect themselves from his brother and used it to my own advantage. He was too naïve to see through the lies and illusions. It was pathetic.**"

"You used him," Rouge mumbled quietly, her eyes widening even more. "You used your own son, you lied to him."

Doom laughed again, shaking the island. "**Revenge is a powerful thing, little bat. It can turn even the sweetest of creatures into blood-thirsty monsters and seeing as how Shadow wasn't too friendly to begin with, I can only imagine what he has become. I used it to my full advantage, but simply gave him another target: the humans. I even went as far as creating that fake video of Gerald crying over his poor Maria.**"

Amy's face paled ghost-white. "Y-You...You made the video, you made Shadow almost destroy the Earth?"

"Then what about the Prototype?" Rouge asked, discreetly pulling more daggers out of her pocket.

"**The lizard?**" the devilish monster asked with a chuckle before his voice turned dark, "**Like I've told you, revenge is a powerful thing.**"

Tails gasped. "You mean--!"

If Devil Doom had a mouth, he surely would have smirked. "**Yes. The Prototype wanted revenge against the humans for discarding it like nothing more than a broken plaything. Its rage boiled for fifty years and when it saw its opportunity, it took it. It wanted to destroy the Earth, filled with the humans that left it to die.**"

"So it was all...your fault...huh?" Sonic wheezed, one of his usually sparkling green eyes, which were now dull and gray, closed.

The one-eyed head of the monster turned to the blue hedgehog lying on the ground. "**Precisely**."

"Enough!" Rouge snapped, her shock replaced by pure anger.

All this time, Black Doom had covered it up. He had created a false illusion of Gerald, sicking Shadow onto the world and GUN for what they supposedly did to his beloved Maria when the whole time he knew that his brother was behind it.

She couldn't let that deed go unpunished.

The huntress' glare never wavered but inside of her mind, there was great turmoil and fear. She had used the powers of the Basilisk to her current full extent. Summoning upon the serpent's powers now was impossible; she would need some time to recover. Her body just wasn't used to the strain yet.

On the other hand, Doom had to be taken down.

It was her revelation.

She stood by as Shadow transformed into a monster fueled by revenge and the Dark Emerald, she begged him to stay, and she let Sonic go after him alone. But now, she would not let anyone take over.

Now, it was her time, her place.

She would be the one to bring the winged devil to his death.

A dark smirk totally alien on Rouge's face carved itself into her cheek. "Doom…" Emerald eyes flashed with adrenaline. "I'm going to kill you!"

Devil Doom seemed amused, his light chuckle ringing through the air. "**Only someone powered by the Chaos Emerald could destroy me in this state, little bat. You're weak, go home!**"

That was it.

Her cue.

With speed enough to startle even the fallen Sonic's eyes, Rouge charged forward, her loud battle cry echoing through the air surrounding Angel Island. She ignored Amy, Tails, and Blaze shouting at her. She ignored Knuckles and Sonic looking on with wide eyes.

All she saw in the sky, above Doom, was the mirage of a black and red hedgehog clad in white with his back turned to her.

He didn't acknowledge her anymore. Not like he used to. He used to consider her an ally, a worthy comrade. Now she was no more than another victim to him. Another stain on his sinful hands. Another face that would fade away.

She refused to accept that.

With one mighty flap of her wings, Rouge shot straight through the defensive line of remaining Black Arms soldiers; seven golden-armored Elites and four massive Black Oaks. Daggers, knives, and bombs flew wildly, all hitting their marks.

Thuds rang through the air like gongs as the remaining Black Arms soldiers fell before the hell-bent bat, her aquamarine eyes solely set on their father.

_'This is my one chance...'_

Rouge leaped into the air with another flap of her wings, a two-foot-long sword-dagger hybrid blade clasped in each hand that had been previously strapped to her back Her grip on the weapons were so fierce that her knuckles were beginning to pale into white.

_'To prove to Shadow that I'm still valuable, that I'm still a powerful ally...'_

"Rouge – _cough_ – don't!" Sonic yelled, his blurry vision materializing the horrible scene unfolding before him to his mind.

Doom launched a single, massive red arm at her, long knife-like claws extended to end her life. She evaded them with a strange sense of grace. Her wings beating rhythmically as she flipped over the clawed hand and landed on his arm.

With a powerful swipe of one of her dagger-swords, she slashed a large, bloody gash into Doom's forearm, her prize being a cry of pain from the winged beast. Another slash ravaged skin as more blood fell to the grassy ground below.

_'That he made a mistake when he left us...when he left me...'_

"**Burn, you winged rat!**" Devil Doom screeched, reeling his massive head back before whipping it at her, his mouth agape.

A river of fire spilled from the demon's mouth, headed straight for the albino bat. Thinking quickly, Rouge pushed herself off the monster's arm with a bend of her knees, landing safely on Doom's other arm.

Failing to catch the effects of his reckless attack, Devil Doom scorched his own massive arm to a charcoal-black crisp with his hell-fire intended for the huntress. Howling in pain, the winged monster began lashing out with his burnt arm his other arm waving frantically to make Rouge fall off.

The bat had other plans however. Raising both her silver blades high above her head, Rouge slammed them into Devil Doom's bicep, digging the blades deep into skin. Blood gushed and flesh ripped as the beast released another pain-filled scream.

"_That I will help Sonic beat him and bring him back home!'_

_

* * *

The resolve to save the one she loves pushes her on! Check back next week for Chapter 57!_


	57. The Gate to Oblivion

**Chapter 57- The Gate to Oblivion**

Rouge's tightly clasped fingers didn't dare release the cold handles of her weapons lodged into Devil Doom's arm. The winged monster trashed and screamed wildly, but the huntress only squeezed her eyes shut and held on for dear life.

_Flashback_

_Shadow eyed her, annoyance clearly present in those fiery orbs. "I thought you wanted to talk, not interrogate me."_

_The huntress' hopes started to die down again, but her sheer worry about the ultimate life form drove her on. Like a tap water drain turned up too high, the words spilled out of her mouth with not control. "You've become so distant from us, from me! Don't you care about us anymore?"_

_The dark hedgehog snapped around to face her with a dark glare, giving her his full attention. "Why do you care?"_

"_Because I'm your friend Shadow, we all are!" Rouge practically yelled, even though she was fully aware that they were in a less-than peaceful environment._

_This wasn't the time or the place to give away their positions just because she was getting emotional._

_But the response the dark hedgehog gave her almost caused tears to fall from her eyes, a sentence she thought he would never utter, or even think about uttering, a sentence that broke her heart._

"_I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I don't need friends, and I don't need you."_

_End Flashback_

_'But you're wrong, Shadow,' _the bat thought, ignoring the wind sailing through her ears and fur, almost making her go temporarily deaf. _'You need me, just like I need you.'_

_Flashback_

"_I thought that..." his deep, rich voice responded quietly, causing Rouge to look up from the ground. Hope was sparked at the sound of his voice. Maybe, she got him to change his mind._

"_...I believed myself to be a hero..."_

_The bat gulped, choking back a small sob. She had to be strong now, or Shadow would not even acknowledge her and leave without a seconds thought._

"_...I tried to make myself believe that my purpose lies here with you, with them, by saving the world and standing by their side..."_

_His eyes began to flare dangerously into the air surrounding him, seemingly taking his anger out on anything that surrounded him with a vicious glare._

"_...But my heart decided on revenge instead. My brother's death is all that matters to me. I can't continue on living while he does the same."_

"_If you leave," Rouge sobbed quietly, taking a step towards the ultimate life form, "It would tear my heart out."_

_Shadow continued to stare off into the distance as he heard the white bat behind him continue, "I have learned the value of friendship through you and Sonic, as well as the painfulness of betrayal and solitude. Will you willingly walk that cold, lonesome path again?"_

"_...Yes."_

_With that single heartbreaking word, crushing Rouge's world just like a pebble under the foot of a dinosaur, the ultimate life form began to take steps away from her, and away from her life._

"_Shadow...!" Rouge yelled after him, squeezing her eyes shut. It was now or never, she had nothing left to offer him. Only her deepest, darkest secret._

"_...__**I love you**__!"_

_Shadow stopped again, his eyes half-lidded and nonchalant as ever at the bat's confession. He wasn't shocked; he wasn't intrigued, he wasn't angry, he wasn't sad. There was only complete, heart-wrenching indifference._

"_Please...stay with me," she begged, taking another step forward, "You're the only one I've let past my barriers, into my emotions. You're the only one that understands me. Don't...please don't leave me alone."_

_The dark one remained completely silent, his face as blank as a white sheet of paper. There was a small pause. Then, for the first time, Shadow shifted his upper body towards her so she could finally see his fiery orbs of sight lock onto hers._

_His eyes were narrowed; his lips were twisted into a dark, cocky smirk. "You meddle too much."_

_End Flashback_

_'I was crying when he left. I let the barriers I set up over the years to protect my emotions crumble,' _Rouge thought sadly. _'I never thought anyone could make me break down like I did, to act irrationally. But the next time we meet, Shadow, I won't bend or break!'_

Through all the thoughts, the emotions, the pain, Rouge never saw Devil Doom finally spot her with his eye. She never saw the demon's giant, razor-sharp claws flying at her. Her life was about to end, and she had no idea.

Rouge's eyes finally opened, widened to be more precise, at the feeling of being dragged through the air. She had lost her grip on her two blades after yanking them out of Doom's body, letting them fall to the ground off in the distance. Hitting the grassy ground of the island, the bat looked up, completely flabbergasted, to see a liquidly blue creature with piercing jade eyes standing above her.

"...Chaos?"

Doom growled out of frustration, his claws just barely having missed his target. The anger subsided quickly however, once he caught sight of the lord of destruction standing on the ground of Angel Island below him.

"**The mighty god of destruction graces me with his presence? I'm honored**," Doom spat sarcastically, his voice dripping with malice.

"_Your luck has run out, Black Doom. You were fortunate enough to attack Earth when I sat in the heavens last time, but now the council has given me permission to aid these mortals in your defeat,"_ Chaos said in clear English, his eyes narrowed for the first time anyone there could remember.

"**Your confidence exceeds your abilities, lord of disaster,**" Doom spat back, an orb of ebony black energy beginning to form within the barriers of his claws.

"_Enough talking," _Chaos snapped, his gem-green eyes beginning to glow. "_Your final end is here, Doom. No powers or reincarnation abilities will save you from where I will send you."_

The winged beast laughed, the orb of energy reaching its maximum size in his clawed hand. "**I don't need to survive. My legacy shall live on within my son.**"

Chaos got into a fighting stance. _"T__hen I will have no problem eliminating him as well."_

The god of destruction shot forward, leaving a mighty gust of wind in his wake. Doom initiated the battle as well, hurling his black ball of energy at the charging god. Eyes narrowing again, Chaos thrust his right arm outward, which stretched like rubber.

The clawed hand of his outstretched arm widened into a half-sphere, catching the ebony ball of energy. The rest of the god's hand encased the ball before Chaos spun around in the air, creating a sling-shot effect for his outstretched arm.

Gaining enough momentum, Chaos released the ball of power, sending it directly back at Devil Doom who, with a powerful flap of his wings, avoided the energy sphere by ascending higher into the air. The ball of dark matter met with trees and shrubs a few hundred feet beyond them both, ripping bark and leaves to shreds in a mighty explosion.

The god of destruction continued to shoot through the air, not willing to give Doom a chance to launch any sort of counter-attack. Swiping his liquidly claw at the winged beast, the thrust hit the space alien full-force, smacking his head to the side.

Continuing on with his assault, Chaos thrust his other arm outward, the length of it extending until his fist made contact with Devil Doom's stomach, earning him a painful grunt from the beast. With a burst of air, the winged monster flew back from the force of the mighty blow, crashing into the Forest of Angel Island below.

Trees splintered and crushed under the weight of Doom's body, his flapping wings only destroying more of nature's children as he desperately struggled to gain a vertical position. Chaos, however, did not intend to give the beast that luxury.

Opening his clawed hand, azure energy began to spark within it, dancing gracefully along his palm. Retracing his other arm back to its original position, he gathered an identical ball of energy within it as well.

Pressing both orbs together like he was trying to clap his hands together, the two balls of energy fused in a sea of sizzles and crackles. Pulling them both apart, the two orbs were now connected by a spider-web-like trail of energy sparks.

Raising the two azure orbs of energy connected by the abundant sparks and electric-like sizzles of power, Chaos hurled them down upon Devil Doom with a mighty roar, reminiscent of an ancient Spartan warrior.

The two orbs began spinning around each other slowly, then picked up speed until it seemed like one large bright blue disk of energy was heading straight for Devil Doom, who had yet to get to a vertical position.

In two explosive, simultaneous impacts, the orbs of energy hit the earth on either side of the winged monster, digging themselves into the earth like the roots of trees. The spider-web-like ropes of energy hit Doom's upper body and core region, holding the bringer of chaos in place.

Doom's one, visible eye widened slightly at being held captive like that before the ropes of pure energy began digging themselves into his skin, burning away at flesh and boiling away blood. Releasing a blood-freezing scream of pain, the demon began withering under his entrapping snare.

Chaos' mouth region twisted upwards, signifying a distinct smirk before he gathered two more orbs of energy within his claws, pushing them together again and repeating the process, creating trails of energy connecting the two before he hurled them at Doom again.

"**BURN!**" the winged demon screeched hatefully, opening his horrific mouth and releasing a sea of flames that headed for Chaos's second attack.

The spinning, lasso-like energy connected by the two orbs was engulfed in the sea of fire and for a split second, Doom released a sigh of relief.

It was short-lived.

For not two seconds later, the two energy orbs sprang forth from the fire in a burst of air. Before Devil Doom could come up with any other defensive strategy, the orbs hit the earth again, this time with one landing above his head and the other below his body.

Digging themselves into the ground, the tendrils of energy tightened themselves around Doom's entire mid-region from top to bottom, including his face.

Screaming as the tentacles of energy began sizzling away at his skin, flesh and blood; Devil Doom began turning his head in random directions and spouting fire everywhere, scorching trees and earth beneath his sea of fire.

Chaos landed on the ground, barely having avoided one of the random funnels of fire Doom was shooting everywhere. Eyes narrowed, he raised both of his arms above his head.

'_For this, I will require my full power.'_

Knuckles' eyes widened slightly. "What the hell's that guy doing? He should be finishing off Doom!"

"Have faith in him, guardian," Tikal, who was securely wrapped in the Master Emerald guardian's arms, beaten and torn, mumbled. "He is a god, after all."

"_Through the green of the earth and the blue of the sea, through the white of the sky and the red of the sun, I call upon powers long forgotten by man and beast! Heaven's wonder, grant me the strength to vanquish my foes, grant me the power to protect my loved ones!"_

From an unknown spot, from an unknown location, a beam of pure white light shot through the sky, parting clouds in a beautiful wind-like effect. The beam brought with it what some would consider a holy glow, illuminating the bleak and gray day.

Sonic's eyes widened slightly. "Looks like Heaven's answering."

Chaos stood motionless, his hands still raised towards the heavens as the beam of light crashed onto him like a funnel of cascading water, parting on the ground and washing over the ground of Angel Island.

"It's so bright!" Amy yelled, covering her eyes with the back of her hand along with everyone else.

Bright would have been and understatement. Sonic could have sworn he felt his hand began to sizzle from the intense light. There wasn't even heat, just the light that seemed too pure to be on this tainted planet.

Then, as fast as it had come, the funnel of light disappeared to give way to the new figure standing in Chaos' position.

His back was turned to them all, but Sonic gasped at the sight. It was clearly a male echidna, one with sky-blue fur, dreadlocks that reached to his upper back, and a strange, ceremonial-style coat draped over his powerful-looking shoulders.

The coat draped around the echidna's body was long and reached down to his ankles, where shiny platinum boots covered his feet. The coat itself was silver, almost platinum, and was buttoned all the way to his neck while it was split a little below his waist, giving everyone a good look at his muscular legs.

A moment of silence passed before the newcomer turned to the heroes, gem-green eyes sparkling with a hidden passion for fighting. His mouth was arched into a confident smirk, giving him the appearance of an echidna version of Sonic.

But what grabbed the blue wonder's attention was not his reminiscent look, but the scar over the echidna's right eye.

He smirked. "It's good to be back."

"W-Who are you?" Amy asked a little shakily, standing to her full height.

"Huh," the echidna bent forward, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "You're kinda cute, for a hedgehog."

The pink hedgehog's cheeks powered into pink. "Excuse me?"

Sonic frowned. '_Nope, I don't think that we're going to get along.'_

"But as for your question, flower," the blue echidna straightened himself out, ignoring the furious roar of Devil Doom behind him. "You've known me for quite some time. I believe we met when I was trying to destroy your city, am I right?"

Amy gasped, letting her shiny blue staff slip from her fingers and fall to the ground with a thud. "You-You're Chaos?"

The echidna smirked. "The one and only, little flower. Although I also go by master of disaster, bringer of destruction, and god of destroying shit."

Tails blinked. "Didn't see that coming."

"No shit," Knuckles added.

"Really?" Rouge gasped.

"Who's Chaos?" Blaze asked.

"I see you're as lively as every, lord Chaos," Tikal smiled.

"**Will you please kill that three hundred-foot monster behind you**?" Sonic shouted hysterically.

Chaos blinked before snapping his fingers. "Oh yeah." He turned around. "All right, doom-machine, time for a one-way trip to the luxurious prison in Heaven reserved only for the foulest of the foul. That means you, ugly."

"**You insolent little pest!**" Devil Doom roared hatefully, spouting more flames from the barrier of his fanged mouth. "**Do you have any idea who I am**?"

Chaos put a finger to his chin, his face scrunching up in thought. "Black Doom, now in your transformed state called Devil Doom. You're the biological father of Shadow the Hedgehog, made some fake videos of Gerald Robotnik, therefore leading your son to side with your cause when you invaded this planet a few years ago." He snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, and you're face looks like a female's private parts!"

"**I WILL KILL YOU**!" the space monster wailed, trashing around in the energy snares that had him entrapped, only causing them to tighten their grip around his body.

"Not likely, ugly," Chaos replied with a cocky smile, making everyone compare him to Sonic once more and trying to figure out if the two were somehow related. "I gotta put you away now, Doomey. But don't worry; you'll have plenty of friends to hang out with once I send you to the slammer."

"Are you sure you can handle him by yourself?" Sonic asked skeptically, only to have his question end in a bloody cough.

The blue echidna briefly turned around to catch the hero's eye and smiled wickedly. "Don't you worry about a thing, scrawny. This guy is a joke."

Sonic blinked. "Scrawny?"

Chaos turned to his foe once more, pressing both of his palms together with a resounding clap before closing his eyes. For the first time since his transformation, the god of destruction actually looked serious about something.

"_Heaven hear my call! Open the gate, the gate to eternal oblivion. Ensnare those who wish to taint this world with evil, punish those who harm the innocent, capture those who are driven by foul intentions. Heaven here my call!"_

For the second time that day, Heaven answered.

Before Chaos' statue-like form, a small white dot materialized from seemingly nothing. After a moment, it began to expand. It became larger and larger until it was the size of the god of destruction himself. Not stopping there, the light continued to grow and to grow, stirring a sense of nervousness within the minds of the heroes.

"Don't worry," Chaos cooed, feeling the tension in the atmosphere. "This attack won't hurt any of you."

Soon, the white light had grown a colossal size, rivaling that of Devil Doom himself. The monster's single eye widened, knowing that whatever was going on, it wasn't going to end up well for him. Once again, the beast started to struggle within his energy ropes, only to have them slash through his thick skin again.

When the light was at least twice the size of Devil Doom, it finally ceased to grow. A wave of silence passed through the air before the center of the light began to swirl, picking up speed until it resembled a small hurricane.

And just like a hurricane, the light began to blow around unnatural air. Only unlike a real storm, the air was flowing towards the light, not from it. Grass waved furiously and began to be torn from the earth along with small trees and bushes, creating a vortex of vegetation that swirled into the light and disappeared.

Alarmed that his body also began to move towards the light, Devil Doom started to fight against his bonds once more, now ignoring the pain in light of seeing a much bigger threat. But no matter how hard the winged devil fought and thrashed, the energy ropes continued to hold.

Feeling his skin roughly drag against the earth, the space alien started to panic, his eye widening out of fear for the first time since he fought Shadow powered by the Chaos Emeralds. Soon his body began to tumble along the ground, continuously being drawn to the swirling storm of light.

Getting desperate and seeing only one way to save himself, Doom screamed and roughly jerked his right arm against the energy ropes, effectively severing it from his body. The bloody arm was no match for the mystic winds and was immediately sucked into the vortex.

Amy's face turned green. "What's he doing?"

Channeling his energy into the bloody stump near his shoulder, his cells sped up their multiplication as a newly formed arm jolted out of the bloody green stump. Flexing his new clawed fingers, Doom flipped onto his stomach, now only a few yards away from being sucked into the light, and dug them into the soft ground of Angel Island, effectively halting his movement.

Chaos' eyes narrowed. "_Crap. I can't move now or the gate will close."_

Doom sighed in relief for a moment, feeling that the threat of being sucked into the light was over.

"Never..." a voice from above him growled menacingly.

Devil Doom lifted his head, his eye widening to see Rouge the Bat standing above him, one of her dagger-swords that she had dropped tightly clasped within her hand. Her usually peaceful emerald-green eyes seemed to be on fire.

"...call Shadow pathetic!" the bat hissed, slamming her sword into Doom's palm with a graceful swing of her arm.

Shock was enough to cause the beast to release his clawed grasp on the ground before the pain took over. Feeling himself being pulled away, he knew that it was the end. Smirking, he yanked the sword out with his other hand, letting it fall on the ground.

"**Someone who betrays his allies is pathetic, little bat. Perhaps you should realize that you're chasing a lost cause.**"

Then he was gone, sucked into the white light, which rapidly shrunk and disappeared as soon as it had acquired its designated target. Rouge's small sword fell to the ground with a thud, leaving the silent bat to stand there in the rain of grass that descended back to the ground.

_'My cause isn't lost as long as I still have hope."_

_

* * *

Chaos, the god of destruction, sheds new hope onto the heroes! _


	58. Ritual of the Destroyer

**Chapter 58- Ritual of the Destroyer**

"Well," Chaos sighed, stretching his arms out, "We won't be seeing that guy again." His eyes landed on Rouge for the first time, and immediately widened. _'Good golly, miss molly!'_

Slicking back his dreadlocks and checking his breath, the lord of destruction jogged up to the voluptuous bat. "How ya doing baby-cakes?"

The ivory bat remained silent, not even sparing the light-blue furred echidna a glance. Her emerald-green eyes seemed unfocused, like she was trapped within her own mind. She didn't even bother to brush off the stray blades of grass that were falling on her head.

A little unsure of what she was doing, Chaos waved his spiked hand in front of the huntress. "Hey! You okay, baby-cakes?"

Rouge blinked, seemingly snapping out of her trance. She turned to look at Chaos inquisitively. "I'm sorry. What was that?"

"I asked," he responded, leaning in. "If you were all right, baby-cakes?"

The huntress blinked. "Baby-cakes?"

"At least he's not calling you scrawny!" Sonic coughed, wiping some blood from his chin with the back of his fingerless-gloved hand.

"Or little flower!" Amy added in, equally displeased with the nickname she had received from the newly transformed Chaos.

Chaos ignored the two shouting bystanders. "So, how about it? You straight, baby-cakes?"

Rouge nodded, a small blush forming on her cheeks. He sure was confident, this new Chaos. Not that she missed the dull, apathetic blob that had relinquished his position for this...rather fine specimen of a male echidna.

Chaos straightened out. "Good. Wouldn't want a beautiful young lady such as yourself getting hurt, now would we?"

"All right Romeo," Knuckles, whose arm was starting to burn furiously again with pain, drawled. "I know you're still supposed to be the god of destruction, but you should try laying off on hitting on Rouge."

Chaos blinked, his scar wrinkling. "Why? Is she taken or something?"

"No, but she isn't available right now," the crimson echidna responded evenly, wincing from the pain again.

Chaos gave him a toothy grin. "I see." He turned to the bat. "So you're saving yourself for someone, huh baby-cakes?"

"Enough of this!" Tikal interrupted, gently removing herself from Knuckles' protective embrace and standing to her full height, although her body was slouching from all her injuries. "Black Doom may have been vanquished, but we still have three others to deal with."

Sonic's eyes grew wide, his mouth turning dry. How could he have not noticed? Through the fight with Devil Doom, how could he have been so stupid as to not notice that Sarx, Eclipse, and Kakos had managed to slip away?

"The fight was a distraction," the speed demon mumbled, chills running down his spine at the realization.

The entire island suddenly shook violently, accompanied by a rumbling sound before a giant fiery inferno tore through the ground right before the Master Emerald shrine, sending ancient rocks and dirt high into the air. An immense wave of heat struck Sonic and the others with such force that the unconscious Silver actually had to be held down by Blaze in order to have kept him from flying away.

Through the clouds of dirt and small fires that had started near the explosion, there were three vague silhouettes that materialized into the intruders of Angel Island with a breeze of air. At the front of the group stood the lead-colored wolf with the white and black cloak, Sarx. Between each of his hands was a long, slender goblet, one with a green flame and the other with a blue one.

To his left stood Kakos, who had thee goblets clasped within his remaining left hand. One of the goblets had a dancing crimson flame within its barriers while the other two remained unlit. Eclipse stood to the wolf's right side, one unlit goblet grasped in each hand.

Knuckles' violet eyes widened. "They have the goblets!"

Sarx's neutral lips curved into a polite smile. "Doom was already defeated? My, my, I was sure he was going to last at least long enough for us to slip away unnoticed." His eyes fell upon the newcomer of the group, the echidna with sky-blue fur and green eyes. "And who might you be? I was sure that there were only three echidnas, including the princess, left alive."

Chaos smirked. "I'm the guy who's gonna banish your sorry ass to the same place where I just sent that ugly bird-Cyclops! Chaos is the name, destruction's my game!"

Sarx remained unfazed. "I'm not surprised. A god has many talents, after all. I do think I prefer you this way though, your alter-ego was a little dull."

The new echidna pointed a finger at the wolf. "Don't worry. You won't be seeing that side of me again anytime soon. The real me is here to stay, open a can of whoop-ass, and spoon-feed it to you!"

Sarx turned his back to him with an elegant wave of his strange cloak, momentarily exposing the sheathed sword at his hip. "As interesting as that sounds, I have business to attend to. Perhaps we will have our fight the next time we meet."

Mimicking their leader, both Kakos and Eclipse also turned, the latter of which rose his hands into the air, summoning a small white light that began to grow around them. The light enveloped the three like a blanket, everyone in the area feeling the burst of energy given off.

Tails' eyes flashed. '_If they get away now, we'll have no idea where to look for them!'_

Reaching into the small pouch strapped to his leg, the two-tailed fox produced a small, mechanical device. Clicking the single red button on it, he threw it at Sarx, who seemed not to notice. The gadget hit its mark on the wolf's cloaked back, the red light flashing in a steady rhythm.

Another flash of white light, and the three intruders of Angel Island were gone, the Elemental Lanterns in their grasp.

"Dammit!" Blaze cursed loudly, her voice shrill with anger. "They're gone! Now how in the world are we supposed to find them?"

Tails looked back and gave the purple fire-wielder a toothy grin, reminiscent of Sonic. "Don't worry about it. I put a tracker on Sarx's cloak right before they used Chaos Control."

Sonic let out a sigh of relief, raising his upper body up with a hiss of pain so that he was in a seated position. Momentarily eying the small, burning hole in his shoulder, he growled angrily. If he hadn't been injured, he could have at least attempted to stop Eclipse from escaping.

After all, Eclipse was the one person Shadow was drawn to, and if they had him, he would find them, not the other way around. But, the elusive white hedgehog had escaped yet again. In fact, if it wasn't for Chaos, they probably wouldn't be alive at the moment.

Even though those thoughts plagued his mind though, he smiled at his little brother. "Good job, Tails."

Knuckles took a knee besides his fallen ally, throwing Sonic's arm around his shoulder and lifting the blue hedgehog to a vertical position, ignoring the hero's winces and hisses of pain.

Chaos cocked his head to the side, walking up to the blue hedgehog and poking his face towards Sonic's. "Huh, you got beat up pretty good, didn't you scrawny?"

Sonic's eyes instantly narrowed, his teeth clenching together. Honestly, the last thing he needed right now was an overly annoying echidna god telling him that he got his ass handed to him in a royal manner.

...Not that it wasn't true.

"Yeah, yeah. Why don't you go do something useful and help out Silver? The guy's half-alive," Sonic responded, trying admirably to be the adult of the conversation for one of the few times of his life.

Chaos blinked. "You mean that guy with the girly hair?"

"...Yeah, the guy with the girly hair.

The god gave him a thumbs-up, once again awkwardly reminding Knuckles of Sonic. "Will do, scrawny!"

"...And stop calling me that!"

* * *

There was hardly any light in the dark, mechanical room. The only sources of any kind of visual aid were the eerie, bleak and blue lights emitted from the multiple computer screens that littered the room. There was a beep from the machines every now and then, indicating them scanning something and that it was operating correctly.

The largest of all screens was mounted on a wall, proudly displaying a slide show of photographs piled with information on Sonic, Rouge, Silver, Knuckles, Eclipse, and Shadow. A few yards away from the screen was a large arm-chair, in which a single, shadow-blanketed figure sat with its chin resting on a closed hand.

A synthetic voice rang through the still air, rustling the figure sitting on the chair. "There was no need to summon Black Doom. You know that, right?"

A pause, in which the figure flipped a switch on the armrest of his chair, summoning a bright flare of light from the bulbs in the ceiling above. The figure revealed itself to be none other than the lead-colored wolf with sapphire-blue eyes: Sarx.

"It provided an adequate distraction," he responded calmly, without turning his head towards the figure leaning against the metallic wall in the far left corner of the room, hidden by a small spot in the room where the light could not reach.

The only clearly visible details of the figure were the standard black shoes strapped to his feet, as well as what looked like the end of a black and white piece of clothing. The leaning figure adjusted its posture for a moment, before stilling again.

"You could have easily taken them out, especially since you had both Eclipse and Kakos with you. Such a strong summon only worsened your condition."

As a response, Sarx coughed, his hand shooting out to his mouth to catch a clot of blood that slipped past the barrier of his teeth.

"Point proven," the unidentified figure said calmly.

Sarx smiled, lifting his body out of the rather comfortable chair. The black and white cloak that usually adorned his body was now gone, as well as his belt and sword, leaving the wolf's completely silver, muscular frame exposed.

Flexing his arms, the reviver turned heel and walked towards the door of the room, nodding for the other figure to follow him. Upon the request, the figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be yet another hooded figure hidden beneath a strange black cloak with a white flame design.

With a hiss, the metallic door in front of Sarx slid open and the wolf walked through, followed by the cloaked figure. Its cloak gave one last flap before the door slid shut again with a clank, leaving the computers in the room to continue on with their searching.

Through the long hallways walked Sarx, his face being highlighted in a rhythmic sequence from the lights that hung above in the ceiling every few feet. The other figure followed behind him closely, its strides so smooth that it seemed to float.

"If we would have fought them, do you really believe they would have considered following us here?" Sarx asked, counter-questioning the figure's last inquiry.

The hooded figure did not break its stride. "So, that's why you let yourself be tracked on purpose? You knew that the fox placed a tracker on you right before you left."

On cue, the silver wolf produced the small metallic device Tails had attached to his cloak moments before they used Chaos Control to make their escape. "I would have been disappointed had they not put some form of tracking device on me. After all, they have been training for two years to defeat and return Shadow to them."

"Speaking of which, do you know where he is currently located? We will need him once Nova is released or our entire plan will fail before it can even commence."

"Not to worry," Sarx replied with a polite smile. "Eclipse is here after all, right? He's the one Shadow's after, so he will most likely follow Sonic and the others here since they're looking for me. Shadow knows that Eclipse and I are connected, since he spent two years with Mephiles. He's put together the pieces we've left him and is going to arrive along with the others as planned."

"You are aware that we will only have six of the seven incarnations here when that happens. What about the last one? Do you have any idea where he is?"

Sarx stopped in front of a door identical to the one they had left through. It hissed open automatically, revealing a large, circular, windowless room with seven slender goblets surrounding a golden cup atop a metallic table.

Walking into the room and up to one of the three unlit flames, he reached into the cuff of his glove and produced a few clots of black fur, tossing them into the round cup of the goblet. Not a split second later, a hot, ebony flame burst to life within the barriers of the goblet.

"I have everything taken care of," he said softly when the cloaked figure strode into the room, the door hissing shut behind it. "The last incarnation will arrive as well and meet up with the others before they attempt to infiltrate the tower."

"Then, I can leave the rest to you?"

Sarx nodded, his eyes on one of the two remaining unlit goblets. "Yes. In fact, the both of you may leave. I have enough subordinates left to split their group up in order to make sure that only the incarnations reach this level."

The hooded figure bowed its head out of respect, before a metallic chuckle rang through the air. "I will regret missing these fights, especially the one between Shadow and Eclipse."

Sarx turned to the figure, smiling. "Indeed. Although, I might not survive this ordeal, so be sure to recover my cloak and sword if I should be killed."

"You have my word," the cloaked figure responded. "But I don't think they will be much trouble for you as long as your body holds out. Just make that if you're beaten you survive long enough to release Nova."

The wolf brushed past the cloaked figure. "Not to worry. Now, if you'll please go and get Eclipse to light his goblet before you leave, I would appreciate it. I have to start gathering up energy for the summons I will be required to do later on."

The hooded figure nodded once more before Sarx strode out of the room, the door hissing shut behind him. He chuckled slightly at the thoughts of the oncoming events. They sure would be a blast, and it was all just the beginning.

* * *

_A forefront of flames, a strange and powerful organization!_


	59. Reflections

**Chapter 59- Reflections**

Sonic's eyes were narrowed as wind whipped his sea-blue quills around his face, the white bandages wrapped around his injured shoulder flailing. His feet hit the ground in a fast-paced, even rhythm as the Tornado soared above him in the skies. Since the plane was now a lot larger, it accommodated for everyone save for himself. But he didn't mind, he liked to run anyway.

"Just a few more miles!" Tails shouted from the cockpit of the Tornado, reading the small tracking device in his hand.

Over the grassy landscape he sped, nature's garden parting under his feet. Nothing but an open plain surrounded him and the others, so it was only natural for them to spot the giant, black, spiked tower coming into view in the far distance.

_'That must be it!'_

They had been traveling for the past few days, following Sarx's signal, and it was undoubtedly leading them to that tower. It had to be his fortress, his hideout, his base. Sonic was mildly amazed at the sheer size of the colossal tower. It would have dwarfed any skyscraper in Central City.

Just by looking at it, the blue hero could tell that there were multiple floors and levels all leading to the circular roof, which was surrounded by a wall upheld by curved in, giant black spikes that made it way too dangerous to try and infiltrate. There was a single, large opening at the bottom with no door that lead into the tower and it was the way they were going to have to go.

This was it. The battle that would be the catalyst of the ancient prophecy. There was no doubt that Sarx would try to bring Nova here for them to fight, but if they could stop him here and now, there would be no need to fight the Titan Beasts or its two brothers and there would be no danger of the world ending.

He had been through a lot, more than most in their lifetimes, but it all equaled up to this. He had saved the city multiple times, the planet a few, but this was big. He wasn't fighting some renegade experiment bent on revenge or some mad scientist; he would have to battle ancient beasts with immeasurable powers.

It was funny, really, how it all started with Shadow's betrayal two years ago.

_Flashback_

"_Hey...moron."_

_The blue wonder remained completely still at the comment, not even beginning to understand Shadow's nonchalant attitude in the current situation. Was he aware of what he was currently doing? Turning back into a rogue hedgehog and stabbing his friends in the back, did that even swim through his shrouded mind at the moment?_

_The cloak draped loosely over the ultimate life form fluttered from a small gust of wind, whistling in the air, as he placed a hand on his hip, the other loosely hanging at his side, his lips twisting into a dark smirk._

"_Hm hm hm, what's with you? Shocked to see me?" the dark hedgehog questioned with a dark chuckle_ _ringing before his verbal statement._

_The emotions kept on pouring into Sonic by the second. His mind and his heart were like a bucket, Shadow's words and actions being the water. And when a bucket was filled beyond its capacity, it spilled._

"_**What the hell are you thinking**__?" The hero shouted at the top of his voice, using the full capacity of his lungs._

_Sonic had snapped completely. Shadow's look suddenly changed to one of inquisition as the hand on his hip dropped to his side loosely, the smirk disappearing as well._

"_...I'll make it simple so even a moron like you can understand," Shadow replied in a voice void of any and all emotion, eerily reminding Sonic of Eclipse, "I'm going to Mephiles..."_

"_...Leave."_

_The moment after the words had left the ultimate life form's lips, an eerie silence filled the air. Anger and shock washed away as Sonic's expression melted to one of sadness and hurt._

_End Flashback_

He had lost the fight and in the process, he had lost a friend. Shadow was so determined to cut their ties, but why? Why couldn't he have just trained with him and went after his brother with him? Why did he have to turn into a renegade and join the enemy?

_Flashback_

"_Why won't you listen to me?" Sonic finally asked after a heavy silence that burdened both hedgehogs._

_Shadow's upper lip twisted into a small sneer at the legendary speedster's sudden question but he chose to remain silent._

"_Why won't you listen to reason?" the Super hedgehog asked again, taking a step towards his friend._

_Shadow's raised lip lowered back to its original position, "Reason means nothing to me, neither does your worry about what I do."_

_Scarlet red eyes belonging to Sonic widened slightly as he took in a shallow and sharp breath. _

"_I have no further interest in you or anyone I've associated myself with," the evil-tainted hedgehog continued, this time nonchalantly, "So stop concerning yourself with me."_

_It took Sonic a while to take in the new information the black and yellow hedgehog was so unkindly presenting him with at the moment but he managed to keep his composure. _

_Bubbling inside of the hero at the moment were many emotions that quickly shifted about to become dominant._

_First there was confusion._

_Then sadness._

_Then pain._

_And finally anger._

"_How can I?" Sonic shouted, raising his index finger and pointing it at the ultimate life form, "You're my friend! How can you expect me not to care when you want to do something so dangerous?"_

_Shadow lifted his head slightly, raising his chin and regarded the yellow hedgehog in pure nonchalance, "Why would you care?"_

_The Super hedgehog shook his head angrily, as if not wanting to accept the black and yellow hedgehog's words, "I'm your __**friend**__! Has everything we've done together become completely meaningless to you because of your revenge? Do you not consider me your friend?"_

_A moment of silence overtook the heavy conversation before finally, after what seemed like an eternity to the raging Sonic, the ultimate life form slowly closed his eyes, betraying almost a hint of sadness._

"_It wasn't meaningless," Shadow explained quietly, his eyes still closed, "Through it all, you have become my closest friend..."_

_Sonic unwillingly widened his bloody red eyes in complete shock at the Dark Super hedgehog's words._ _His mouth slowly opened and remained agape._

_Shadow just called him his best friend? If that was true, why was he doing all of this and stabbing him in the back?_

"_...However," Shadow's vermilion eyes snapped open and directed themselves at Sonic, narrowing slightly, "I cannot be burdened by these foolish bonds if I wish to attain power and kill my brother."_

"_Don't you understand?" Sonic shouted, swiping his hand through the air, his eyes leaving all features of shock behind, "If you go to Mephiles, there's no telling what he'll do! You might not come back..."_

_Sonic's voice dropped a great deal, lowering only to a whisper, "You might die."_

_Shadow didn't miss a beat before he responded, "I don't care. Must I always repeat myself to you? If Eclipse dies as the result of me going to Mephiles, that's all that matters to me. These bonds I have created with you and the others hindered me..."_

_Then, taking Sonic completely by shock, Shadow disappeared from his line of sight. Panic overtook the hero as he scanned the area with his scarlet eyes, searching for any trace of the treacherous hedgehog._

_The speed demon could've sworn his heart stopped when he heard Shadow whisper from behind him, "...And I'll start by destroying my bond with you!"_

_End Flashback_

A dry smile touched his lips. They were almost at the tower. Just a few more minutes of peace, a few more moments of recollection were granted to him. Then, everything would be about blood-shed and battles, about saving the world. For now, he basked in his memories that lead him here.

_Flashback_

"_...But above all else, you're a moron."_

_Sonic froze._

_That word...it was not his to speak. That one, single, almost insignificant word was not worthy to be rolled off the tongue of that demon. Only one person on this planet had the right to call him that. Mephiles saying it enraged him to no end._

_His clenched fists quivered in fury, his entire body shaking._

_He was the only one to call him that. It was his word, no on else's. Not Knuckles', Not Amy's, not Rouge's, and especially not Mephiles'._

_Sonic's head snapped up, his emerald-green eyes aflame with pure, unrestrained anger. Mephiles had crossed the threshold with that last insult, that last straw to break the camel's back, the last drop of water to overflow the dam._

_Faster than he could realize – or even hope to realize – what he was doing, the azure hero felt a concentrated fire beginning to burn in his right palm. Bright blue light began to emit from his open palm, the warm feeling of raw energy beginning to spread over his entire arm._

_The demon of time watched the hedgehog gather the attack with mild interest. He snorted slightly, 'Even if that attack is powerful enough, there's no way he'll ever get close to hitting me with it.'_

_The orb in Sonic's hand continued to grow and expand until finally, it could no longer be contained in a single palm. So, the hero reached over and cradled the orb with his other hand as well, pouring more and more of his energy into it until finally, he felt the supremely powerful energy of the Chimera flow through his body._

_Sonic managed to smile dryly. The creature knew exactly what he was planning, and he was coming to his aid._

_**'Fear nothing, I will lend you my powers. Destroy that filthy hell-spawn, Sonic the Hedgehog!'**_

_The bright sapphire orb in his hand drowned into a brilliant golden as the Chimera poured its own energy into the attack. By now, the orb was at least three times the size of a soccer ball, which was about the size of Sonic's regular Shining Lance attack._

_Mephiles tilted his head to the side as he witnessed the color of the energy fading from blue to yellow. He knew that it was the power of the Chimera, partly because the color of the energy shield resembling the beast was also the same color._

"_**There's only one person who's allowed to call me that...**__" Sonic roared, his voice so strong and dominant that it roused alarm in the phantom, who's slitted green eyes grew wide when the attack the hedgehog was gathering was finally completed._

_'That energy! It's too massive!'_

_With a mighty battle cry only comparable to the bravest of warriors charging headstrong into a battle, Sonic charged forward with all the speed and strength he could muster, cradling the golden energy sphere in both of his hands, which were both thrust to his side to allow him better control of his charge._

_The ground in the mere vicinity of the energy ball crumbled and burst under the pressure of it, splitting and breaking into millions of tiny pebbles. The entire dome they were in was being faintly illuminated with the bright yellow light rolling off the orb in steams._

_Mephiles smirked darkly as he watched the blue hedgehog blasting full speed towards him with the dangerously threatening attack cradled in his hands. He never learned. The demon was sure that the hero had figured it out. He would simply sink into a dark portal before the impact, avoiding harm and counter-attacking with an energy blast of his own to end the fight._

_'Such a waste of power,' the demon hedgehog thought with disgust._

_He blanked out for a fraction of a second, only continuing to watch Sonic come at him with his dangerous attack before deciding to open a dark portal and sink into it._

_Pouring some of his energy into the ground to activate his ability, Mephiles' venom-green eyes practically doubled when crackles and sparks of blue energy shot from the spot where he attempted to open the gateway to his safety, canceling his own outpour of energy completely and stopping him from escaping as realization hit him._

'_No...he couldn't have! That idiot couldn't have!'_

_A single bead of sweat ran down the side of the phantom's face as the ice-cold realization of Sonic's actions hit him like a stray bullet. He wasn't throwing a tantrum or taking his anger out, he poured the energy of the Shining Lance into the ground to cancel himself from pouring his own energy into it. _

_Somewhere along the line the azure hedgehog must have figured out that it took a flow of steady energy to open a dark portal so he did what was necessary to stop it, he poured his own energy into the ground to cancel out Mephiles'._

_Now there was no way for him to avoid the attack. His last trump card to safety had been ripped to_ _shreds by the speed demon and he was too close already for a physical dodge to be effective. Before the demon of time knew it, Sonic was in front of him. Not once had he stopped or wavered in his charge and not once had the angry glare directed at the phantom weakened._

_Mephiles could've sworn the sea-colored hedgehog's eyes were caught of fire when he bellowed the next set of words so hatefully, with such anger, that it could have frightened the Chimera itself._

"_**...And it's not YOU!**__'_

_Both hands cupping the grand-sized orb of energy were thrust forward full force, waves of golden energy both from the attack and from Sonic's form lashing out everywhere and drenching the scene in yellow._

_End Flashback_

They found Shadow again, but it was totally different than he had imagined it. He had imagined the cold, sarcastic asshole from two years ago, instead he was presented with an indifferent, murderous shell of the former ultimate life form.

_Flashback_

_Sonic snapped, rage washing over his features as the question he had been wanting to ask for two years spilled from his mouth like a stream of water. _

"_**After two years, that's all you have to say to me? After you tried to kill me and didn't follow through with it? Tell me, Shadow; tell me why you spared me!**__"_

_The ultimate life form's eyes slowly closed in remembrance of that day and the fact that he had indeed spared the famed hero's life. "It's simple...the fight as well as the use of the emerald drained most of the energy from me, not to mention that I was injured. I was just about to deliver the killing blow when I lost consciousness from energy exhaustion."_

_His eyelids lifted back up, although only about three quarters of the way to reveal the cold, vermilion eyes of the obsidian hedgehog. "I did not have enough time to kill you. The fact that you're still alive is pure luck."_

_Sonic's eyes went wide._

_First there was confusion, and then there was sadness, followed by rage, but at the end, only a cold, numb throb within his chest. He had survived because of sheer luck? His own life was nothing more than a coincidence? There truly was no other reason that he spared his life?_

_A jerk and then a flutter._

_Sonic blinked once before Shadow appeared right in front of him. The white coat wrapped loosely around the dark hedgehog's body settled back against his fur, subsiding from the sudden motion of its wearer. He stood at his full height now, only a couple inches over Sonic, and was almost nose-to-nose with his counterpart._

"_Shadow!" Rouge gasped, amazed and shocked at the sudden relocation of the black hedgehog. There was no flash, no spark of light, absolutely no indication of any type of Chaos Control. Was this Shadow's own speed?_

"_Fast!" Amy managed to gasp, eyes wide._

"_Now that I think about it," Shadow drawled in a tone so cold and distant it seemed that he was talking to himself. "You always did have a lucky streak. Surviving our fight on Ark, surviving our fight during the Black Arms invasion, and getting revived from the dead by Elise in Soleanna; it was all sheer, blind luck. "_

_The sapphire hedgehog remained motionless, his eyes focused ahead, not on Shadow._

_There was no way he could look him in the eye, not when he was this close after so long. "No one has that kind of luck. You spared my life on your own accord two years ago."_

_A silence...and for a brief moment Sonic believed that he had caught the ultimate life form off guard for once. Then: _

"_Isn't that right, Shadow?"_

_Another brief moment of silence flow through the air, its wings engulfing everyone at the scene before the ebony and crimson hedgehog decided to break it once again. "Delusional as always."_

_There was an explosion of power rushing into Sonic's senses at that very second. Someone had summoned an incredible amount of power in the vicinity and the blue hedgehog did not even have to think to figure out who was producing it._

_A bright yellow light slowly began to glow around him, emitting from Shadow's waist level. The right hand that had been draped around it was now raised at his side, revealing his gloved hand, which was still white, holding a sparking sphere of yellow energy._

_The sleeve of the ultimate life form's cloak fluttered around his arm furiously from the unnatural wind produced from the attack, but the bright light of it would not let Sonic catch a glimpse of his arm. Sonic felt as if he was chocking. The amount of pressure and force around him was like a giant snake, coiling around his senses and thoughts, leaving his body frail and weak; ready to be devoured._

"_Know that today, you're lucky streak comes to an end," Shadow drawled impassively, raising the hand containing the bright yellow Chaos Spear to shoulder-level in a striking position. "Today you're going to die, Sonic."_

_End Flashback_

Sonic came to a trot, and finally stopped in front of the huge, gaping opening that lead into the heart of the massive tower. He didn't know what awaited him inside, but bravely stood his ground. The Tornado touched ground behind him with a loud thump as the others prepared for the inevitable battle ahead.

The speed demon smiled. "Let's rock!"

* * *

_The battle finally begins! Check back for Chapter 60, the finale to Part 2, which will be posted on Friday!_

Author's Note: Yeah, I know. A pure flashback chapter but I wanted to show off Sonic's development in the story and it was kind of necessary for plot purposes.


	60. Rise of the Earth Incarnation

**Chapter 60- Rise of the Earth Incarnation**

There was an eerie sense of foreboding that misted off the tower's exterior. It was like someone had put up an invisible warning sign not to come inside. It was so silent that only the wind howling over the grassy plain made any kind of noise.

Sonic clenched his fists at his sides, the finger-less gloves covering his tanned hand creating a soft sound from the fabric rubbing together. The white bandages tied across his shoulder where he had taken Eclipse's attack wrinkled, but Sonic paid it no heed. Tikal had healed most of the wound, and he was able to fight, although not to his full extent.

The hero turned his head slightly to see his friends had all exited the small plane. "Looks like this is it, guys."

Tails nodded slightly, adjusting the pouch strapped to his leg. "Yeah, but be careful Sonic, we don't know what's in there or how many men Sarx has."

"Not to worry," the now finally conscious Silver waved off the comment. "As long as we stick together as a group, there won't be a force on Earth that can take us down!"

Blaze slapped the white hedgehog in the back of his head with a loud smack. "Stop being so naïve. You know full well what Sarx and his group is capable of. Now that we're on their turf, they'll have the advantage over us."

The psychic hedgehog rubbed the back of his head, grumbling under his breath, when Chaos decided to speak up. "All right, scrawny, lead the way and try not to get killed!"

Tikal put her delicate hand on the echidna's broad shoulder, earning a displeased look from Knuckles, who was standing right besides the echidna princess. "Just remember your training, everyone. Two years of your lives were spent preparing yourselves for a battle like this, have courage!"

Chaos smirked, noticing Tikal's hand still lingering on his shoulder. "As much as I appreciate the close contact of such a lovely lady, I think the big guy over there is getting a little jealous." He hiked a thumb towards Knuckles, who snapped his head away with a scoff.

"As if."

Blaze's eyes narrowed. "All right, no more chit-chat! Now's the time to kick some serious ass!"

Rouge smirked, drawing one of her short swords from the straps on her back. "Agreed."

Amy produced her three small, blue staff pieces from a bag at her hip, forming them together with a single click. "This time, I won't back down from those guys!"

Sonic nodded, eyes traveling back towards the large doorway leading into the tower. "All right, let's go!"

On the given cue, the eight heroes took off, lead by Sonic, and ran through the giant doorway that lead into the darkness of the mysterious tower. The blackness surrounded them all in an instant, the tapping of all their feet leading them to conclude that the room or place they were in was very large and spacious.

The echoes of Sonic's feet hitting the floor slowed in speed until they finally stopped. The others, taking this as a signal, came to a halt within the pitch-black darkness as well. Their eyes scanned for any source of light, but the only one was that of the opening they had run in through.

All around them, lights suddenly brightened the room they were in from the ceiling hanging at least fifty feet above. The room was made of black steel and metal and was large and circular, with a single staircase leading to a small, closed door at the far end of the chamber.

Amy began to tremble, her green eyes widening in horror.

They were completely surrounded by a small army of Black Arms soldiers, ranging from the regular soldiers to Elites to the giant Black Oaks. All of them wielded either swords or guns, and the army that was roughly a thousand strong had trapped the small group of eight, blocking them from escaping back through the way they came or through the small door at the end of the staircase.

A moment of eerie silence passed before the soldiers closest to the group began to advance, signaling the rest of the army to move in as well. Sonic immediately got into a fighting stance, his entire body crouching as if he was ready to pounce at the nearest Black Arms soldier.

Then, in a wisp of air, the azure-furred hero disappeared; reappearing right behind the nearest Black Arms soldier in a storm of wind, his body in the air with his right leg reeled back. Slamming his leg into the side of the alien's head, the soldier flew sideways before skidding to a halt on the ground, completely motionless.

All hell broke loose.

The eight heroes split, each attacking some of the massive number of Black Arms soldiers. Ray guns fired lasers everywhere, swords crashed against stone and metal, and bodies fell to the ground. It was a miniature war; eight versus a thousand.

The heroes fought and struggled against the overwhelming odds, much like the ancient Spartans, whose king led three hundred brave soldiers into the face of certain death. They were outnumbered, but not outclassed.

* * *

Tails and Knuckles stood back-to-back, the young fox of the duo wielding two small firearms and blasting the surrounding Black Arms soldiers. The only problem was that they were mainly surrounded by Elites, which meant that most of them simply used Chaos Control to escape harm before Tails could hit them.

With his uninjured arm, the one that he didn't use with his Raikou attack, Knuckles fired small Thunder Arrows into the crowd of enemies, sometimes hitting one or two but always missing the most of them. He cringed for a second, pain shooting through his burned arm, and it gave the Black Arms the opening they were looking for.

Drawing large purple sabers, three Elites shot towards Knuckles at break-neck speed, intent on slicing the echidna's head clean from his shoulders. Spotting the charge in time, Knuckles managed to duck, grabbing Tails by the gruff of his neck and bringing him down as well.

The three Elites flew by overhead and Tails used his dual blasters to shoot every one of them with pinpoint accuracy. They landed on the ground with consecutive thuds, but not before two massive Black Oaks in heavy armor wielding giant black hammers charged at the duo.

"Aw, come on!" Tails yelled with wide eyes, seeing the two behemoths charging at him.

Crouched, he aimed his blasters at them, one for each giant, and let loose a rapid barrage of red lasers. Tails nearly chocked on his tongue when the blasts simply bounced off the armor the two giants were wearing.

"It's no good!" Tails called to his echidna companion, who was making quick work of a regular foot soldier. "My laser can't penetrate their armor!"

Knuckles cursed, releasing a Black Arms that he had been holding up by the neck, letting the soldier fall to the ground with a thud. Sprinting up to Tails and passing the bewildered fox completely with an "I'll handle this one"; the echidna darted at the Black Oak on the left.

Tails' brow furrowed, feeling absolutely useless. He was sure that he could have thought of a way to take down the two giants yet...calling Knuckles seemed so much easier, and safer.

'_Coward!'_ his mind spat at him in disgust.

The two-tailed fox's eyes lost focus for a moment, glazing over. Try as he might, he couldn't deny that accusation. He was acting like a coward right now, a complete and utter coward. Sure, he had taken some of the soldiers out on long range but was always too scared to fight up close.

His head hung low in shame. "I'm completely useless," he whispered.

Knuckles roared ferociously, the hidden powers within him churning. Keeping his body at an angle so that his damaged right arm was out of harm's way, the echidna warrior thrust his left fist into the metal armor of one of the giants, creating a huge dent in it.

Sliding in between the mammoth's legs just as it slammed its hammer onto the rocky ground, completely shattering the stone, Knuckles ducked under another giant war-hammer, this time courtesy of the second Black Oak.

Cursing under his breath, the Master Emerald guardian slammed an open palm onto the ground, pushing his entire body into the air. Tilting his leg, Knuckles' leg crashed into the side of the first Black Oak's head, earning him a painful grunt from the soldier.

Not willing to let the chance to take down one of the giants slip, the echidna followed through with a flurry of lightning-fast punches to the skull. Just as the monster was about to be beaten, his brother swung its giant hammer at Knuckles again, this time hitting the crimson warrior straight in the chest.

Violet eyes doubled in size. Knuckles felt his bones cracking from the force of the impact, clots of blood left his open mouth, and he flew back with a burst of air, hitting the rocky ground with a heavy thud, rolling onto his side before coming to a stop.

His vision blurred, his brain rattled from the sheer force of the hit. In all honesty, he thought that taking these giant down was going to be a piece of cake, but apparently, he was wrong. Two blurry, black stumps crossed into his line of vision, and Knuckles knew that those masses were the feet of the Black Oak standing above him ready to deliver the finishing blow.

It looked like he had no choice. He really wanted to wait until it was absolutely necessary, but he couldn't allow himself to die here like this. He had a duty to fulfill, an emerald to protect, and friends to aid.

"Knuckles!" Tails screamed frantically, making a mad dash for his echidna friend, only to have his way blocked by the second giant Black Oak, who raised its giant hammer above its head, ready to strike down.

* * *

Hurling another dropped sword at a Black Arms Elite, this time successfully impaling it, Silver smirked viciously, his blood boiling from the battle. His golden eyes scanned over the other members of his small group; Blaze and Tikal.

The purple feline by the name of Blaze ducked under a purple energy saber, pointing her palms flat against the Black Arms who had tried to decapitate her and sent it flying away in a fiery blaze with a blast of her powers.

Not one to waste time or opportunity, the fire-wielder performed a three hundred-sixty degree turning, encasing her entire body in her magical fire, setting the four Elites surrounding her ablaze. Coming out of her rotation, she almost missed the energy laser that was fired at her. It was heading directly for her back and she was done for if it hit its mark.

"Blaze!" Silver called out, encasing the beam a split second before it hit his companion with his neon-green energy, sending it right back at the Elite who fired it, scorching the alien in the chest. The monster screeched in pain before falling to the ground with a thump.

Tikal sailed by overhead, crashing her foot against the face of another Black Arms soldier that was coming up behind Silver, chopping the alien in the throat to finish the job. With an elegant turn, the echidna princess' sharp eye landed on another Elite that was warping towards them.

Summoning upon the ancient powers within her body, the ones her father taught her so long ago, Tikal gathered a bright, yellow, sizzling form of energy within her palm. Crouching her body to get a better stance, she hurled the energy ball at the Elite.

"Heavenly Arrow!"

The attack hit its mark full-force, sending the golden-armored Elite back a coupe of yards before he hit the ground, lifeless. Quick to react, Silver lifted the deceased body of the alien into the air with his psychic powers and threw it at a massive, armored Black Oak that was stalking towards them.

The giant raised its massive hammer and crushed it against the dead Elite's back, having no respect for its fallen brother. Using the opening created by the swing, Silver engulfed the hammer in his trademark neon green energy, ripping it from the mammoth's clawed hands before smashing it against its face, successfully taking it down.

"Silver!" Blaze screamed, but it was already too late.

While the white hedgehog was distracted with taking down the Black Oak, the ground underneath Silver's feet began to rumble before the rock cracked, a massive, red, worm-like creature erupting from the ground and hurling the psychic hedgehog into the air.

"Crap!" Silver spat, surrounding himself within his energy to keep his body afloat in the air.

Tikal dashed towards the Black Worm, her right hand drawn back with a sizzling Heavenly Arrow. Avoiding the beast's wild lunge at her with a side-step, the echidna princess slashed through the worm's skin and flesh with her attack. The beast reeled back and shrieked before falling to the ground lifelessly in the next moment with a loud crash.

Blaze, her arms lit with mystic fire, hurled flame balls at the Black Arms soldiers starting to close in on them. The feline clenched her teeth. It was no good. There were way too many of them, and with Sonic, Knuckles, and Silver still injured, they didn't have a chance at taking out all these soldiers.

Only a miracle could save them now.

* * *

Sonic cringed, the wound in his shoulder sending spasms of pain rolling though his body, as he avoided a swipe of an Elite's energy saber. Slamming his palm onto the ground, the azure hedgehog smashed both feet into the alien's face before grabbing the saber out of its hand, ending the assault with a merciless slash across the chest.

Not willing to give up his commandeered weapon, Sonic sprinted forward, taking down three Black Arms soldiers in a flurry of swipes and slashes. Taking a breath of fresh air into his pounding lungs, Sonic's eyes widened when giant shadow suddenly loomed over him.

Somersaulting to the right just in time to avoid a giant hammer crashing into his previous location, Sonic's green eyes narrowed at the massive Black Oak standing before him, its giant body burning with adrenaline.

But, no sooner had the strategy on how to take down the giant formed in his head, it was snuffed out by Chaos, who leaped from behind the mammoth and crashed a powerful fist against its head. The Black Oak spasmed for a moment then fell to its knees and finally dropped dead onto the ground.

Sonic was mentally shocked at how the echidna could take down such a massive creature with a single punch.

Shaking the thought out of his head, the blue hedgehog dodged a flurry of laser fire from a couple Elites, dashing forward and making quick work of them with his stolen saber. He slowly felt his upper body and chest growing dully numb.

They were going against insane odds, and eventually, the Black Arms would overwhelm them like a hive of ants battling eight praying mantises. No matter how hard the larger and more powerful insects fought, the eventually succumbed to the endless waves of ants throwing themselves at them.

He eyed his echidna companion, who was still beating the living daylights out of everyone near him without missing a beat. It was true that the god had great endurance and power, but Sonic doubted that even he could take on this entire army by himself.

A mind-bending pain suddenly shot through his body, and the next thing he knew, he found himself on the ground, a Black Oak looming above him dangerously with its giant hammer raised to deliver the fatal blow.

The monster swung down, and Sonic raised his stolen saber just in time for it to absorb most of the damage. The purple steel of the sword chipped, cracked, and eventually broke under the massive force of the hammer, the blue hero rolling to the side to avoid the hammer crushing his skull.

Quickly regaining a vertical position, Sonic dove forward, smashing his fist into the armored torso of the beast, only to hear a dull thunk followed by a numbing pain in his fist. He scolded himself mentally, since fighting the monster hand-to-hand probably hadn't been the best idea.

Temporarily distracted by the pain in his hand, Sonic completely missed the massive, black, steel-plated fist that shot towards his chest, getting hit full-force by the powerful punch. The speed demon's green eyes widened, the sheer force of the punch robbing his lungs of air and sending Sonic speeding backwards before crashing to the ground.

His vision blurry, Sonic propped his body up with his elbows. Feeling a raw, hot pain in his throat, the hedgehog coughed up a puddle of blood, feeling nausea beginning to take over his body. He should have dodged that; he should have seen it coming with his natural speed.

But he didn't. He was caught off guard and now he was going to pay the price for his mistake.

The eerie shadow of the Black Oak once again loomed over him and this time Sonic had no energy left to dodge or maneuver. Since he had no Chaos Emeralds at hand, he couldn't warp away with Chaos Control either.

Sonic's eyes were hollow. '_I can't give up. Shadow...I still need to find Shadow!'_

The Black Oak swung its massive hammer.

* * *

Rouge gasped in pain, the fired laser blast of an Elite grazing her side, slashing through her white shirt and leaving a bloody gash on her hip. Quick to retaliate, the huntress summoned a Black Wave, slicing the Elite in half with the energy-infused wind attack.

Dodging another onslaught of energy rays fired her way with a few elegant rolls and maneuvers, the bat hurled a couple of bombs at the group of aliens attacking her, setting them ablaze in a few fiery explosions.

With a flick of her wrist, Rouge swiped some stray strands of hair out of her glistening, sweat-soaked face, her gloved hand tightening around the single short-sword she was currently wielding. Reaching behind her back, she unsheathed the second sword, twirling it around her hand once before charging at another group of Black Arms.

With a battle cry reminiscent of a banshee, Rouge sliced her two small swords around wildly, yet with a sense of elegance, cutting down at least three of the alien monsters.

Her eyes gazed over the chaotic battlefield, finally resting upon her friend Amy, who was shakily dodging a saber-wielding Elite. Rouge frowned. She knew that the pink hedgehog had the potential to fight skillfully, yet it seemed she had no will to.

Cursing at having to come to the rosette hedgehog's aid, the bat took off, her wings beating in steady rhythm behind her to keep her body afloat slightly above the ground. Just as the Elite was about to deliver a lethal blow to Amy, Rouge dived in front of her, parrying the saber with one of her own swords and slicing through the Elite's torso with the other.

A bead of sweat ran down the side of the huntress' face before she snapped towards Amy, her expression littered with fury. "Amy! You can't just stand there and wait to be killed! Fight, use your weapon, **do something**!"

Amy took a step back, a little frightened by her friend's sudden angry outburst. Unwillingly, she blinked back a few tears that were starting to gather at the corners of her eyes. She hung her head in shame, eyes staring at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Rouge. I just don't think I'm cut out to do this."

"**Bull**!" The huntress hissed, avoiding using the last part of the word for the sake of her friend. "You've trained for two years, all for this. Now you're just standing there and letting others rescue you?" Her voice dropped, expression saddening, "How can you ever hope to help us rescue Shadow, how can you ever hope to help Sonic? The way you are, you're just a burden."

Amy's cyan-green eyes widened. Her dry mouth hung open and her body remained completely frozen at Rouge's statement. But try as she might, she couldn't deny it. She was a burden, to all of them, especially to Sonic.

She couldn't stop the tears anymore. They now flowed down her face freely, collecting at her chin and dripping to the ground in soft plats.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Sonic...I'm so sorry."

In the heart-wrenching conversation, neither female noticed two Elites with purple sabers looming above them.

Simultaneously, they swung their swords.

* * *

The Black Oak standing above Knuckles swung its massive hammer, aiming directly for the echidna warrior's head at the exact same moment the second giant swung its hammer at Tails. Two sets of eyes widened in the face of their death, their doom.

Both Black Oaks froze, their hammers still in mid-swing.

Tails blinked out of surprise at the two lines of slithering sand that had wrapped themselves around the shafts of the hammers, much like snakes would wrap themselves around their prey. The golden-brown sand shifted for a moment before ripping the hammers out of both Oak's grips, tossing them at least a hundred yards away with mighty swings.

Knuckles' violet irises shrunk. _'Sand? But that could only mean...'_

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud rumble that grew steadily until the ground he stood on expanded and burst open like an overcooked turkey, a cylinder of sand shooting out and lifting the crimson guardian into the air.

Hearing a yelp of surprise, Knuckles turned to see that a second funnel had burst from beneath Tails' location and had also lifted him into the air, safe from harm. Both funnels started to move, shifting slightly, as they traveled towards the entrance of the complex.

Knuckles saw a lone figure by the door. The Master Emerald guardian smiled dryly. "I don't believe it."

* * *

Blaze screeched out of surprise when she felt herself being lifted into the air, courtesy of a sand cylinder that had burst from the ground beneath her. Gold eyes scanned her surrounding wildly in an attempt to see who or what could have done this, but when she felt that she wasn't in danger, her tensed body relaxed slightly.

The purple feline looked to her left to see that Tikal and Silver were also standing on the strange sand cylinders that had lifted them at least twenty feet into the air. The white hedgehog looked completely bewildered, but Tikal wore a cool expression.

"All right!" Blaze shouted, wobbling on the unsteady platform of sand. "Just what the hell –" she was cut off when all three sand towers began to move towards the entrance of the complex.

* * *

The hammer that was intended for Sonic's head hit nothing but stone, creating a huge, shattered dent. The blue hero gasped, feeling himself being pulled back through the air. Ignoring the wind stinging at his eyes, he flipped his body to see two lassos of sand wrapped around his ankles, pulling him towards an obscured figure standing by the door, sunlight flooding around his silhouette.

Hearing a string of vulgar cursing, he turned his head to see a very unwilling Chaos also being dragged back by two sand lassos wrapped around his ankles. The god looked absolutely livid.

"Let me go you son of a bitch!" the god of destruction screamed at the top of his voice, causing Sonic to flinch. "I had 'em right where I wanted 'em. Put me down you mother –"

* * *

The two purple swords intended to slice the necks of the two females off were crushed under the force of a wave of sand. Both Elites stumbled back in surprise before the blot of sand twisting before them shot out and covered them both. A second later, two loud crunches rang through the air.

A bead of sweat ran down Rouge's face, her emerald-green eyes wide at the sight of the moving sand. She heard Amy gasp behind her. Then, without warning, the mass of sand shot out towards them, lifted them into the air, and slithered across the ground, avoiding every single Black Arms soldier in their way.

_

* * *

_

It's not like I'm walking alone into the valley of the shadow of death

_Stand beside one another, 'cause it aint over yet_

All eight heroes were dropped onto the ground in front of the shadowed figure simultaneously.

Sonic rubbed the back of his head, one eye closed as he examined the figure standing before him, its arms crossed firmly over his chest, its cerulean eyes gleaming with a quiet fury and hunger for answers to questions that plagued it night and day.

The blue hedgehog smiled brightly. "What took you so long, Algos?"

_I'd be willing to bet that if we don't back down_

_You and I will be the ones that are holding the crown in the end_

The sand-brown hedgehog that Sonic had fought alongside Shadow and Knuckles remained silent for a moment, his newly acquired, brown, sleeve-less, trench coat that reached to his ankles rustled by a stray breeze. That coat was open, but buttons were visibly there, and it had a rather large collar that was propped up.

Algos gave him a blank stare. "Don't think I'm inclined to help you. I'm just paying my debt."

_When it's over, we can say, "Well done"_

_But not yet, 'cause it's only begun_

Sonic didn't miss the small smile the sand hedgehog had given him. He was about to say something else when he was interrupted by Knuckles.

"Thanks for saving our asses, Algos," the echidna bowed his head slightly as a sign of appreciation.

Algos bowed his head in return before his deep blue eyes scanned over the area, noticing that the Black Arms soldiers were starting to move towards them.

_So, pick up, and follow me, we're the only ones_

_To fight this thing, until we've won_

Amy stumbled back, her green eyes wide out of fear when the sand-controller took a step forward with his heavy brown boot. The rest of the group looked completely intrigued by the newcomer, but Amy was the only one that was scared.

Algos' eyes landed on the pink hedgehog. "I'm not going to hurt you, Ms. Rose."

_We drive on and don't look back_

_It doesn't mean we can't learn from out pasts_

He gently coaxed the cotton candy-furred hedgehog out of the way, completely facing the charging horde of monstrous Black Arms. Algos slowly raised his arms into the air, the steel plates on his white gloved reflecting the rays of the sun outside.

An ocean of sand burst through the large door, sailing over the bewildered heroes. Not a single grain hit them or dropped to the ground, every one was perfectly controlled by Algos. Like a giant serpent, the sea of sand reeled back.

_All the things that we might have done wrong_

_We could've been doing this all along_

The snake-like mass of sand shot forward with a burst of air, slamming onto the ground in front of Algos, who looked like he was leading an orchestra. The sand slithered over the ground, spreading throughout the dome, and covered every single inch of ground that was in front of Algos, leaving a small portion of ground for the rest of the heroes to stand on.

_Everybody, with your fists raised high!_

_Let me hear your battle cry tonight!_

The army of Black Arms stopped dead in their tracks, the sand enveloping their feet and legs, leaving them all completely immobile. The horde of aliens screamed and hissed malevolently, throwing swords and shooting lasers at Algos, all of which clumsily missed.

The sand that had wrapped itself around the legs of the monsters curled upwards, slithering over stomachs, torsos, necks, and heads. It was not long before every single Black Arms soldier in the room – nearly a thousand – was completely covered in a coffin of sand.

_Stand beside, or step aside!_

_We're on the frontline!_

Algos snapped his raised hands closed, curling them into tight fists.

"**Desert Prison**!"

In complete sync, every mass of sand wrapped securely around a Black Arms soldier collapsed into itself, crushing the devilish occupant inside. Blood stained the sand, complete silence overtaking the dome.

The sand-controller lowered his arms, turning his head towards Sonic.

"Now, where is the black and red hedgehog?"

_Everybody, with your fists raised high!_

_Let me hear your battle cry tonight!_

_Stand beside, or step aside!_

_We're on the frontline!_

_And we'll be carrying on, until the day it doesn't matter anymore_

_Step aside, you forgot what this is for_

_We fight to live, we live to fight_

_And tonight, you'll hear my battle cry_

_We live our lives on the frontlines_

_We're not afraid of the fast times_

_These days have opened up my eyes_

_And now, I see where the threat lies_

_Everybody with your fists raised high!_

_Let me hear your battle cry tonight!_

_Stand beside, or step aside!_

_We're on the frontline!_

_Everybody with your fists raised high!_

_Let me hear your battle cry tonight!_

_Stand beside, or step aside!_

_We're on the frontline!_

_We've got to lead the way!_

_We've got to lead the way!_

_Everybody with your fists raised high!_

_Let me hear your battle cry tonight!_

_Stand beside, or step aside!_

_We're on the frontline!_

_Everybody with your fists raised high!_

_Let me hear your battle cry tonight!_

_Stand beside, or step aside!_

_We're on the frontline!_

_Everybody, with your fists raised high!_

_Stand aside, on the frontline!_

_Everybody with your fists raised high!_

_Let me hear your battle cry tonight!_

_Everybody with your fists raised high!_

_Let me hear your battle cry tonight!_

_Stand beside, or step aside!_

_We're on the frontline!_

* * *

Author's Note: And that's a wrap for Part 2 of _In the End_! I will now take a break in order to finalize and touch up Part 3, which should be up around May or June. Until that time, be good, enjoy life, and don't forget to drop a review!

-Myz


	61. Divinity Amidst Spilled Blood

**Chapter 61 – Divinity Amidst Spilled Blood**

Everyone in the room became solemnly quiet, causing the sand-wielding hedgehog waiting for an answer to his question to raise a curious brow. Algos' cerulean eyes traveled over Sonic's expression, finding nothing but pain in his features.

"...So he betrayed you."

It wasn't even a question; it was a stone-cold statement.

Rouge bit her bottom lip, bruising it red. She averted her gaze to the ground before nodding very slowly. Algos eyed the huntress for a quiet moment, then:

"It was likely to happen."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rouge snapped.

The brown-furred hedgehog ignored the outburst, his expression and demeanor remaining calm and collected as his eyelids folded over his orbs of sight. "When we fought, more than two years ago, the dark hedgehog said something that had me pondering his future actions."

_Flashback_

"_Shut up," Shadow spat in a low, venomous voice, his head dipped low from the previous attack, "Do not compare yourself to me! Do not speak of things which you know nothing about!"_

_Algos smirked slightly, "There you go again, crying of how G.U.N. killed your family._

"_It wasn't G.U.N. you homicidal freak! It was my brother! My own brother!" Shadow shot back angrily._

_Algos' expression remained stoic, "So what? What does that mean to you? Revenge, perhaps?"_

_The black and red hedgehog looked up, his garnet eyes sparking with hate and anger. "You're damn right, and I'll warm up with killing you!"_

_End Flashback_

Algos peeled his eyes open. "His thirst for revenge was almost visible to the naked eye. His persona told me that he would do anything to reap his vengeance upon his brother."

Chaos ignored the sand hedgehog's explanation, having calmed down from being dragged away from his battle against the Black Arms. "So you're the second incarnation, huh brownie?"

Algos nodded once before he faced the sand-covered dome again. Lifting a single hand into the air, open-palmed, about a tenth of the sand covering the ground stirred by the will of its master, lifting into the air and surrounding Algos in a ring-like shape.

"I hold the power of the Dragon within me."

Knuckles' eyes widened. _'That explains it!'_

_Flashback_

_Algos' body continued to remain slouched, but there was a substantial difference in his outward appearance. A light brown colored energy surrounded him, outlining his body perfectly to the fingertip. _

_It seemed like some sort of shield since it not only outlined him, but covered his body completely, sort of like a shell, a see-through one that is. Slowly, waves of the same light brown energy rolled off the main shield, giving the hedgehog the appearance that he was steaming._

_End Flashback_

The echidna began following Algos, who had started walking over the miniature desert to the door that would inevitably lead to their next obstacle.

_'Tikal said that besides the whole transformations, there were partial ones. Algos probably didn't have full control over his Dragon from yet!'_

_Flashback_

"_A special connection must be established with the beast residing within you. The more your heart and soul infuses with your beasts, the greater power you shall be granted. In total, there are four main stages of power that must be unlocked. Of course partial forms also tend to appear."_

_End Flashback_

Algos' heavy boots crunched over the sand, which was now a dry auburn color from all the blood that had been spilled on it. Without stopping or turning his head, he spoke again.

"Come. If you wish to stop whoever it is you're chasing, we can't waste time here."

Sonic snapped out of his trance-like state, nodding vigorously, and took off, catching up with his sand-wielding companion, closely followed by the rest of the group. Together, they stalked up the stairs, through the heavy wooden door, and into the next room.

Slowly, almost painstakingly, as if the act took some higher art of skill, the heavy wooden door concealing the next room slid open, a heavy creak echoing through the air. Light spilled into the room, illuminating starch-white walls with a floor and ceiling to match.

A beat passed, and then a cascade of sand spilled into the albino room, hovering elegantly through the air. Like a giant serpent, the sand twisted and turned, as if examining the room for danger. Another moment passed before the sand's master entered.

Algos' amazingly bright cerulean eyes scanned over the room, noticing it to be almost completely empty.

Almost, that is.

The lights in the ceiling flashed to life and the sand-wielding hedgehog standing at the room's entrance motioned for the rest of his comrades to follow with the back of his hand, the metal plate on his glove reflecting the lights above. On cue, Sonic and the others dashed into the room, spreading out across the wall in defensive positions.

Chaos grinned. "Looks like we have our first little problem."

Dead-center in the white room stood a massive brown bull whose skin was a few shades darker than Algos' fur. Two long, curved horns jutted out of his forehead, heavy black boots covered his feet, and a dark cloak that seemed as if it would rip apart from the bull's size at any moment covered his muscular body.

The sky-blue echidna of the group whistled. "Aren't you a big one! What's Sarx feeding his flunkies?"

Garnet-red eyes glared at the echidna. "I can't allow any of you to pass through this room."

"Is that so?" Came Sonic's reply as he tightened his fists at his side. He was done playing around with these low-lifes that served Sarx, he came here for the lunatic wolf in the flesh.

With a tug, the bull discarded the ebony cloak that was wrapped around his body, revealing an overly massive torso littered with ripping muscles. "I'm sorry. I detest fighting, but my orders are to kill any intruders that have infiltrated this tower. As a common courtesy in battle, I'll give all of you my name, therefore, you'll know by whose hand you fell. I am Valor."

Chaos' grin doubled in size. "Being a little cocky, aren't you, Steroids?"

The god of destruction already caught sight of Algos preparing to send his sand towards the bull, but he quickly raised a palm to signal the sand-wielder to cease his actions.

"I'll handle this one," he said hiking a thumb towards Algos. "Sandy over here interrupted my ass-kicking session earlier, and I feel like finishing it."

Sonic and Algos both nodded, but Valor's voice once again cut through the air. "Did you not hear me? I will not allow any of you to pass."

"That isn't up to you, Steroids," Chaos grinned, suddenly taking off with a burst of air, his long silver coat flapping behind him.

Taken aback by the sudden charge, Valor's eyes widened before he threw himself into a defensive position, lowering his body and bending his knees to absorb the headstrong attack of the echidna. This battle would be all brawn; a sheer contest of strength between two powerful adversaries.

Chaos' muscular arms shot forward at the same time Valor reached out to grab him, resulting in the two intertwining their hands with a loud boom, both warriors attempting to over-power each other much like two sumo wrestlers would.

"Now!" Chaos yelled.

On cue, Tikal, Amy, Sonic, Tails, and Blaze darted past the distracted Valor, Rouge and Silver flew overhead, and Algos rode his tidal wave of sand across the two power-struggling enemies, causing them to break their shoving contest and jump out of the way to avoid being consumed by the sand.

A moment later, a loud crash rang through the air as Algos destroyed the door leading to the next area with a funnel of sand, the rest of the group following the sand hedgehog's path.

Amy, who was the last of the group, paused at the destroyed door, looking back at Chaos. Their eyes met for a split moment before the pink hedgehog voiced her concern for the echidna.

"Be careful."

Chaos was silent for a second, taken aback by the rose hedgehog's words of concern for him, but quickly produced another immature grin. "Don't worry about a thing, flower. I'll catch up with you later."

Amy smiled and nodded, taking off through the destroyed door and following the rest of her comrades higher up into the mysterious tower.

Chaos' grin remained plastered on his face as he turned to face his foe. "Well, you wanna get this party started, big guy?"

Valor lowered his head. "I have failed my main objective. However, defeating you will redeem me in the eyes of my master."

The god's scarred eye narrowed, while his other one widened slightly to give him an inquisitive appearance. "As much as I'd love to chat with you, I have other business to attend to, such as beating the living hell out of Sarx!"

The giant brown bull raised his head again, wine-colored eyes narrowing, adrenaline beginning to course through his body in anxiety of the fight to come. "So be it, you have sealed your fate."

Chaos and Valor took off for each other, both warriors raising their fists and slamming them against each other at the moment of impact, sending a shock wave of air coursing through the bleach-white room.

The water-colored echidna smiled viciously at the feeling of his hand throbbing from the impact of Valor's fist. Finally, someone he could really, truly fight with, not some low-down Black Arms flunkies.

Since Valor was almost twice as tall as Chaos was, the powerful bull aimed a high kick at the echidna's head with his giant black boot. Chaos' grin widened as he dodged the kick with ease, ducking just in time to avoid having his head kicked off his shoulders.

Using the opportunity of having Valor on only one leg for balance, the god of destruction lowered his body and swiped his leg across the ground, attempting to knock the giant off his feet, only to have Valor jump with his one leg that was still on the ground in order to avoid being taken down.

Without realizing it, the bull had put himself in a much more vulnerable position than he was in before. Now he was in the air without being able to perform any evasive maneuvers and had Chaos right below him.

Being a natural prodigy of hand-to-hand combat, Chaos did not miss this overwhelmingly positive opportunity. Slamming a palm onto the ground to steady himself, the lord of disaster used the leg he had just tried to knock Valor off his feet with to spin his body through the air with a simultaneous thrust of his palm, rotating his entire body to make sure Valor did not know where his next attack was coming from.

Out of the miniature cyclone of blue and silver flew Chaos' leg, crashing into Valor's side with a satisfying sound of skin meeting skin. The bull's eyes widened out of shock and pain as he felt his ribs crack from the sheer impact of the attack. Before he knew what to do, he felt his body land on the cold, unforgiving ground with a few tumbles, blood oozing out of his nose and mouth.

Chaos nimbly landed on his feet, and not willing to give his opponent a breather, took off again. With Valor still on the ground, it gave the god of destruction an excellent opportunity at a power hit. With that thought in mind, Chaos reeled his leg back when he was a few feet from Valor's fallen form and slammed his foot into the bull's stomach, sending the four hundred pound bull into the air like he was a mere pebble.

The sky-blue echidna smiled toothily, bent his knees, his powerful calf muscles stretching under his skin, and took off, jumping to heights that would have put his Airness himself to shame. Coming up in front of the now horizontal body of Valor, Chaos slammed his elbow into the giant's stomach, earning him a grunt and a spray of blood.

Valor screamed, pain shooting through his body like an out of control wild fire as his body hit the ground, cracking and destroying the tiles, his fallen body becoming covered in a cloud of debris and dust.

Chaos landed on his feet, once again with the grace of a swan, smiling cockily at the fallen bull. "Come on Steroids! I haven't even broken a sweat yet! I've wanted a good fight for so long, don't let me down now!"

Valor choked back a bloody cough, propping his weary body up with his elbows. "Truly, your reputation precedes you, god of destruction."

The echidna warrior raised a brow, his amusement heightening. "What? You think someone called 'the god of destruction' would be a pushover?"

Standing to his full height, Valor gripped his crushed rips when a spasm of pain shot throughout his side. "Of course not. It's just an honor to face you in battle."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, big guy. Besides, unlike my stick-up-the-ass brothers and sisters, I really don't care about honor as long as a good fight is involved," Chaos replied idly, waving the compliment off.

"That is a shame," the giant replied, dusting off his chest, which had collected some rubble and dust. "I always believed that honor is the most important thing in any battle, physical or mental."

Chaos smirked again. "Then you and I just don't share the same views, big guy."

Valor smiled and closed his eyes, hiding his vermilion eyes behind thin brown eyelids. "I can see that this will be my last battle. May I request something of you?"

The lord of destruction's smirk died. "Shoot."

"I would like to be honored with a warrior's death, as well as a proper burial."

Chaos sighed. "No problem, big guy. You're actually a pretty cool guy, too bad you ended up working for a dirt-bag like Sarx." He smirked again. "I'll give you the death you want, and I'll bury you myself."

"Thank you."

* * * * * *

Dead Black Arms soldiers littered the ground like weeds, the ferociously strong stench of death hanging in the air like a poisonous cloud. Blood seeped onto the cold, hard floor, creating a bog of death in the large room shrouded in shadows.

A lone figure trudged through the mass grave of aliens, each step creating a splat as its feet hit a puddle of blood. The darkness hid the figure's figures features, but a long coat could clearly be seen covering most of its body, save for its legs, and a large, baggy hood was drawn over its face.

The figure suddenly stopped in the middle of the large room, seemingly all but ignoring the hundreds of dead Black Arms soldiers at its feet. Slowly, it bent down, one arm resting on its knee, while the other reached towards the ground, the figure's fingertips running through puddle of blood from under the large sleeve of its coat.

Raising its hand up to examine the rough, grainy material that was now stuck to its fingers, the figure turned its hand around to double-check its find, making absolutely sure that what it had found was what it thought to be. There was no mistaking it.

Sand.

The cloaked figure's eyes – their color obscured by the darkness of the hood – narrowed.

"Hmph."

Author's Note: For those of you who don't know, his Airness is Micheal Jordan.


	62. The Stand of a Youth

**Chapter 62 – The Stand of a Youth**

Golden-brown sand crushed the heavy metal door blocking their path into scrap-metal, tossing the now useless chunk of metal to the side. The balled-up door landed on the ground with a heavy thud, confirming its appearance as being heavy.

Algos, the second of the seven legendary incarnations walked through the shadowed doorway, his keen cerulean eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger.

The room was white, relatively large and spacious, but almost completely empty, save for a few computers and pieces of mechanical equipment. Letting his sand slither over the ground in front of him, Algos walked into the room, the other remaining heroes following after.

"Don't let your guard down," Algos called over his shoulder, continuing his stride towards the door at the other side of the room.

Sonic nodded quickly, momentarily wondering if Chaos was fairing all right where they had left them. Perhaps he should've stayed and helped out. The sea-blue hedgehog shook his head. Chaos was a god, after all. He could handle himself, especially now that he wasn't a blue blob of water anymore.

Noticing that Amy, Rouge, Silver, Tikal, Blaze, and Knuckles had fallen in line behind the sand-manipulator, Sonic's grass-green eyes wandered over to Tails, who nodded at him. Sonic hesitated for a moment before he got into stride behind Knuckles, Tails bringing it around at the end.

The door that lead into the next area was another large mechanical one that looked like it wouldn't slide to open its passages to anyone. With a quick raise of his hand, Algos' sand smashed against the metallic door, tearing it off its hinges and sending it flying back against the wall of the next area with a loud smash.

Algos peered inside, noting that there was no danger, and walked into the illuminated hallway that marked the next area. Motioning with his hand for the rest of the group to follow, Amy nodded once and gave a thumbs up signal to the rest of the group.

Following Algos and his anaconda-like entity of sand, Amy, Rouge, Silver, Tikal, Blaze, Knuckles, and Sonic walked through the entrance into the hallway. A sudden rumble startled the group, which was followed by a massive metallic plate at least a few feet thick falling in front of the door behind them.

Alarmed, Sonic spun around, his features now shadowed by the decrease of light in the hallway. The metallic plate had completely sealed off their previous path. For a moment, he calmed himself, but then realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Where's Tails?"

As the question echoed through the air, the rest of the heroes searched the area for any sign of the two-tailed teenage fox, only to come up with nothing. Amy turned to Sonic, her soft green eyes wide with fear.

Sonic felt as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water down his back. Tails was cut off from them, he was alone on the other side of that thick metallic slab! His little brother, the one he had sworn to always protect, was out of his reach and out of his safety.

Instinct, coupled with panic, took over.

Sonic raced to the blocked doorway, slamming both fists against the heavy piece of metal in a vain attempt to get through.

"Tails! Tails, answer me! Are you all right? Are you hurt? Tails!" the fifth incarnation shouted like a mother that had lost her child, continuing to pound at the door with both fists.

There was a pause at the other end of the metal wall, and then Tails' voice rang out as clear as day. "Yeah, I'm fine. Almost got turned into a fur-cake by that metal slab, but I'm all right."

"Hang on!" Sonic yelled back. "We'll break through and get you outta there!"

Another pause.

"No, go on without me, Sonic. I'll take an alternate route and meet up with you guys."

"**The hell you will**!" the sea-blue hedgehog screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice filled with rage at the idea of leaving his little brother behind by himself with no one to protect him.

"You have to find Sarx as soon as possible and stop him!" the golden fox reasoned. "I'll be fine. Besides, Chaos isn't that far away. I'll meet up with him and join you guys."

Defeated by the younger hero's logic, Sonic's ears flattened against his head, his expression of anger dropping into one of uncertainty.

"I don't know, I just don't think it's a good idea."

Feeling a light hand on his shoulder, the speed demon turned his head to see Rouge smiling at him. "Don't worry about him, Sonic. We aren't the only ones that changed over the years. Tails can take care of himself."

"All right, little bro," Tails heard Sonic call from the other side of the make-shift blockade. "We're gonna keep going. You wait for Chaos and come find us with him, got it?"

Tails smiled at Sonic's protective attitude. "Sure thing, Sonic. Go on, I'll be fine!"

There was a pause before the young genius heard the multiple clanks of feet hitting the metallic floor rapidly, accompanied by the eerie swishing of Algos' sand as it levitated through the air. They were gone, off to find Sarx.

Blue eyes narrowed before Tails turned his head slightly. "You can stop hiding now, I know you're there."

A hissing chuckle shot through the air like poison, followed by a low, raspy voice.

"My, my, smart boy."

Redirecting his bright blue eyes towards the ceiling of the room, Tails saw the large shadow that dropped from it and landed on the ground with a thud. Like the first enemy they had encountered, the one Chaos staid behind to fight, this one had on a large black robe.

A snake-like hiss echoed through the air.

"I was hoping to cut off someone a little stronger, but I suppose you'll have to do."

The two-tailed fox's eyes narrowed. "So you're the one that threw that giant stone slab in front of the door."

"Obviously," the figure hissed back tauntingly.

Ripping the hood of his cloak off with a clawed, scaly hand, the figure revealed itself as a dragon of some sorts. His face was covered in dark green scales, a split tongue slipped in and out of his mouth, and his slit green eyes glared amusingly at Tails. He looked more like a giant Komodo dragon than anything else.

"Too bad I had to end up with the runt of the litter," the dragon hissed, disappointment in his raspy voice. "This won't be fun at all."

Tails smirked slightly, noting how full his opponent was of himself. Maybe he could use it to his advantage. After all, people always had the tendency to underestimate him. Reaching into the pouch strapped to his leg, the fox pulled out a few round, black, mechanical devices.

Noticing Tails producing some items out of his pouch, the dragon smirked. "Well, maybe snagging you wasn't so bad. You look like you're ready to put up a fight. But first, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Komodo."

"That's original," the young hero shot back, twirling the four black balls he had produced in his fingers.

Komodo's tongue danced across his pointed teeth. "So feisty, for such a young kid. I think you need to be taught a lesson in manners."

"Bring it on, Scales."

In a flash, Tails had whipped out a small red blaster from the pouch on his back, pointing it threateningly at Komodo. The dragon's eyes lit up in amusement. "A gun? I have to admit, I've never seen a young brat like you use one of those."

A crimson whiz of light passed his head, mere inches from his ear, hitting the wall behind him with a scorching bang. Komodo's eyes remained focused on Tails, seeing that the barrel of his weapon was still emitting some smoke from the shot he had just fired.

"Seems like you're in no mood to talk, kid."

With a slow, delicate tug at the string at the neck of his robe, the black coverings of his body fell to the floor in a heap, revealing a body as equally scaly and green as his face. A long tail whipped around behind him, as if it was anticipating something with little patience.

Getting into a stance, Komodo grinned wickedly. "Let's see how you taste, little fox."

A little caught off guard at the mentioning of how he would taste and figuring out that this guy was obviously cannibalistic, Tails shot another round from his gun, this time actually aiming at his enemy's head.

In a single motion as fluid as an undisturbed stream of water, Komodo weaved to the left, the red bullet of the gun missing his head by a mere breath. Cursing, Tails stuffed the gun back into his bag. Dividing the four black balls he still had equally amongst his hands - two for each one - the kitsune hurled the two in his left hand at his foe.

"A direct attack? Not too smart, little fox," Komodo teased, easily dodging the two balls aimed for his body by jumping back a few feet. Half-expecting them to detonate or do something of the sorts, a moment passed before the dragon snorted. "And it looks like your weapons are useless as well."

Tails smirked wickedly, a trait he had picked up from Sonic over the years. Rolling the two balls he had left in his right hand around a bit, the young fox threw them as well, this time over-shooting his target by a few feet.

Komodo hadn't moved an inch. The two black balls fell to the floor behind him with two small thuds.

"Are you done?"

Slit green eyes widened slightly to see the golden fox standing before him, a small black box with a single red button in the center. Tails' thumb was looming over the button, and with a cocky smile, he pushed it.

Confusion and shock took a hold of the dragon when he heard four simultaneous whizzing sounds starting up, surrounding him on all sides. With disbelief, he saw the two black balls in front of him lift into the air while spinning furiously, noting that the two behind him were doing the same.

Then one of them sparked.

It was the signal for the others to start emitting sparks as well and soon all four of the airborne balls were producing crackles of blue electricity from their bodies.

Komodo's eyes narrowed. _"Shit, the kid's got me in a trap!'_

Eyes scanning around frantically, the dragon could see no way past the electric barriers now keeping him in the area where he stood. The waves of sparks increased until they fused into each other, creating a cage around Komodo.

A beat.

Then all four balls rushed towards Komodo, electricity and all.

The dragon cursed under his breath, but his dry lips twisted into a small smirk. Drawing his head back and puffing his chest out, Komodo's upper body lunged forward as a sea of fire blasted from his mouth, destroying two of the four little black balls heading towards him. Bending his knees, he performed a simple back flip to avoid the other to and blasted them into a fiery abyss as well.

Before the young fox could even blink, the dragon spun around, his tail lashing out towards him. Gasping, Tails jumped back, the tipped end of the tail grazing his shoulder. Although he had been hit, the wound wasn't too deep.

There was a pause between the two fighters.

Then Tails blinked. "…To hell with that!"

Not wasting another second, the young fox turned tail and ran through the door from which he had first entered, leaving a startled and angry Komodo standing in the middle of the room.

It took the dragon a moment to realize that Tails had just pulled one of the most simple and cowardly moves in the book.

"Get back here you little prick!"

Komodo gave chase.


	63. The Shadow of a Hero No More

**Chapter 63 - The Shadow of a Hero No More**

His breath was ragged and heavy as he rounded yet another corner, still trying desperately to elude his would-be stalker. Tails' bright blue eyes flashed through the darkness of long, dark hallways, blood seeping from the wound Komodo had inflicted upon his left shoulder.

Letting his feet fall into a tapping rhythm, he studied his wound. _'It isn't too deep, but I need to clean it so it won't get infected.'_

Head snapping to the side, he made sure that the fire-breather wasn't behind him before he rounded another corner. Coming to a stop, he reached into the bag strapped to his back and pulled forth a small, black grappling hook. Taking precise aim at the ceiling, the fox fired it with a quiet hiss. The hook latched onto a rail near the ceiling and with the press of a button, it reeled the super genius onto the large rail, which had more than enough room to support him.

Not even bothering to unlatch the hook, he simply let the wire dangle off the edge as he reached into his bag again and pulled out a small red box with a large white plus sign on it; obviously a medical kit. Clumsily undoing the claps of the small red box, the two-tailed fox lifted the top open, reaching in and pulling out a small vile filled with a luminous blue liquid.

With a small grunt, Tails put the vile between his teeth, clenching them softly to keep it in place but not hard enough o break it. Reaching into the med kit again, he pulled out a small silver syringe with a long, elegant needle on the top. Eyes scanning below him for any sign of Komodo quickly, he knew that danger was still not aware of him.

With a jerk, the boy genius plunged the syringe into the vile between his teeth, sucking out the liquid into the hollow tube of his medical device. Then, before he could think clearly of what he was doing, he released his toothed grip on the vile, letting it fall below into the darkness.

His body iced over, realizing exactly what he had just done. With a loud clatter, the vile broke on the rough concrete ground below him.

If Komodo didn't know where he was before, he certainly knew now.

Not wasting any more time, Tails pulled out the last item from his medical supply kit: a small, brown leather strap. Fastening the strap onto his left arm and tapping two fingers against it to make sure it wouldn't reflex, the fox plunged the syringe filled with blue liquid into his body.

The liquid was an extreme catalyst, speeding up his cell duplication throughout any damaged areas throughout his body. This meant that his wound would not only remain clean, it would heal faster as well. Of course, the fox's immense intelligence didn't stop there. He also found a way to prolong the effects of the medicine, giving it the ability to be in effect in his body for the next two hours. He would be able to heal from all wounds at extraordinary speeds for a short period of time.

"Got you."

Tails froze, the sweat pouring from his over-exerted body seeming to break into ice.

Acting as quick as possible, the fox leaped from the rail he was sitting on just as a burst of fire engulfed the whole area. Such a James Bond-esq maneuver didn't come without consequences. The distance from the rail to the flour was at least twenty feet and Tails felt every one of them as his body slammed onto the ground.

Pain rattling his senses but knowing he couldn't simply lay down and take a rest, he quickly jumped to his feat and ran in the direction he was already facing, his mind only on getting away from his stalker. More fire lit up the dark hallway, just inches away from the young fox, as he rounded another corner.

Tails had to cover his eyes, the sheer brightness of the area causing his vision to go completely white. Readjusting his eyes to the different scene, he found himself in an immense computer room, technology littered all over the place. Screens hung on the walls, computers were on desks collecting data, and bright white lights illuminated the room all around.

Thinking hastily, the young hero pulled forth another object from his backpack: a metallic yellow and white box the size of a small television set. Fumbling with the object, he set it down onto the floor and jumped back, pulling out another small object: a tiny black ball with a hole in its center, resembling an eyeball in structure and looks.

_'Let's see if this works.'_

Komodo's green eyes danced with amusement as he strolled into the main data gathering room of the tower. It was a dead-end, there was only one way in and out of this place and the young fox had run into his grave.

With a tug, he discarded his ripped and damaged black robe, revealing the rest of his scaly, muscular body. His serpent-like tail slithered on the ground behind him, glad to finally be free of its bindings. He smirked, his split tongue gliding over his dagger-like teeth as he scanned the room for his prey.

"Oh where, oh where, has my little fox gone?" he sang in pure malice, his raspy voice sick with amusement.

His tail cut through the air, knocking a computer off a desk and sending it crashing to the ground. "Oh where, oh where, could he be?"

Something clicked.

The next thing he knew, the fire-breathing lizard was blown away by a tremendous, fiery inferno. Pure white replaced his vision as his body crashed onto the ground hard, destroying the tiled floor. Dazed, he stood, struggling to find his footing. That little brat had set up a trap for him!

With a rough shake of his head, Komodo cleared his hazy vision.

Only to see the young, two-tailed fox running at him full-speed.

Before he could react, or even will his body to move, Tails raised his right hand mid-sprint and threw three small needles at him. Unable to dodge, the three small weapons embedded themselves into his right arm. Roaring in outrage and pain, Komodo swatted Tails away, sending the young hero crashing into another set of computers.

Growling, he ripped the needles out of his leather-like skin, tossing them onto the floor. He checked his wounds: three tiny holes in his arm and a small amount of blood. But, knowing that his young foe usually always had a trick up his sleeve with his weapons, he knew better than to take his attack lightly. The needles were most likely filled with something, perhaps a poison.

Snapping his head to the left, he glared at Tails, who was once again on his feet. "What was in those needles?"

The golden fox smirked, showing off his teeth. "An extremely deadly and quickly multiplying virus."

At his words, the dragon broke into a cold sweat, his vision starting to blur again.

Tails' smirk grew. "And judging by your reaction, I'd give you about three minutes before it takes full effect and kills you."

"You-You little prick!" Komodo hissed, gripping his scaly head with both hands. It felt like someone was pounding against his skull with a jack hammer. Collapsing onto his knees, he barely noticed Tails walking up to him.

Before he could stop himself, the lizard's head reeled to the side, his mouth emptying his stomach all over the ground. Shakily wiping the disgusting organic material from his chin, he felt himself become light-headed.

Tails got on one knee, staring his adversary into the eye. "You have about a minute and a half."

Komodo's mouth released a raspy sound, making Tails believe he had just coughed. But when the sound occurred again, this time in a repetitive manner, the fox knew that Komodo had broken out into a fit of weak laughter. He reeled his head back, his blood-shot eyes wide with amusement, as he released another wave of icy laughter.

"Good to know you'll die sane," Tails commented, getting back on his feet.

"For someone who claims to be so smart," Komodo crackled, his eyes meeting Tails', "You sure are stupid!"

Reeling back his head, his mouth expanding slightly, he took in a great breath of air. Tails' eyes widened; he knew what was coming next! Jumping back a few meters, just enough to so that he was at a safe distance, the fox watched Komodo spout flames, but strangely, not at him. Instead, the dragon aimed at the ground right in front of him, lighting it up on fire. He shakily spun around, repeating the action two more times until the whole area around him was on fire, raising the temperature of the room greatly.

Tails already found hot sweat pouring from his body due to the heat. His blue eyes narrowed. _'What's he doing?'_

Then, Komodo stood up, the motion not shaky or clumsy in the slightest. With the fire surrounding him and his green eyes glistening, Tails found fear rising in his body. It had been over three minutes, why hadn't the virus killed him?

The dragon warrior walked through the circle of fire surrounding him, brushing off some soot from his shoulder and cracking his neck. "I have to admit, that was pretty close. It would have worked on anyone else if that compensates anything."

Tails took a step back, his blue eyes wide. "How-How did you?"

"Haven't you ever been in biology class, kid?" Komodo teased, continuing his trek towards the young hero, "Lizards are cold-blooded. I can change my body temperature by manipulating the temperature of my environment."

Feeling the answer hammering into his mind, Tails took another step back. "And viruses..."

"Are destroyed under immense heat," he finished. "All I had to do was heat up my body temperature to the point where the virus could no longer multiply and would eventually die off. My natural affinity with heat didn't cause me any damage, but rendered your little virus completely useless!"

The young hero couldn't believe it. His plan was destroyed, he had forgotten the very basics of biology and the race of the foe he was dealing with. Still feeling immense heat stinging at his body, Tails began to back up even more, with Komodo's following stride not breaking.

Reeling back his head, the lizard's gaping mouth released another wave of fire, speeding directly for the two-tailed fox. With a quick and sloppy barrel-roll, he managed to avoid the attack, crouching behind a large computer, his back to the piece of machinery.

About three seconds passed before the barricade he was behind erupted in a fierce, fiery explosion, knocking Tails back at least ten feet.

He landed on his back, his teeth clenched in pain, his eyes wide. Propping himself up on his elbows, he started to rise to his feet.

Until Komodo landed next to him, slamming his scaly tree trunk of a leg onto his chest, instantly knocking Tails back on his back and earning himself a blood-curling scream of pain. The dragon was an expert combatant; he knew that he had ruptured and perhaps crushed some internal organs with that blow. Yet, to his mild confusion, no blood left the young boy's mouth or nose.

Dismissing that small fact as irrelevant, he smirked, putting more pressure on the foot he used to keep Tails on the ground. It was over, the young fox's only weakness was exposed: his lack of raw, physical strength.

With a deliberate slowness, Komodo's tail curled into the air behind him, its sharpened tip waving around dangerously like the stinger of a scorpion seconds before a venomous strike.

"You've lasted longer than I expected, kid, I'll give you that much."

A cough from the downed Tails.

The dragon's tail rose high into the air, the tip pointed directly at Tails like it had a mind of its own. Komodo repositioned the leg he had on the fox's chest onto his stomach, making it perfectly clear that he was going to stab the hero in the chest.

"You're so young, killing you doesn't seem like the right thing to do," he hissed, his tongue flickering around his lips before he crackled in a fit of demonic laughter. "But then again, I've never been one for mercy or a conscience."

With the single, quick, lethal thrust of a cobra, the tail slammed into Tails' chest, buried itself deep within his flesh, and came out of his back, slamming onto the concrete beneath him. The fox's eyes went wide for a split second before they became hollow, his body going limp and lifeless.


	64. A Docile Spring

**Chapter 64 - A Docile Spring**

Silence floated in the air like the lost balloon of a child.

Even the machinery around them seemed to cease their beeping and works for this small hiatus of peace. Wordlessly, Komodo's long, serpent-like tail was ripped out of the lifeless body of Tails. Curling it behind his body, the lizard's cold green eyes scanned over the fatal blow he had delivered to his opponent. His chest was basically gone, nothing but a gaping black hole taking its place.

Komodo sighed. Killing someone, whoever it may be, was never an easy task. The fact that he had just murdered a young boy did not suffice to his guilt either. But, that was the way the world was. People died, and the grim reaper was not picky. Women, men, elderly, children; they all fell before death's black hand. It didn't mean that Komodo couldn't feel a slight sting of remorse though, but it wasn't new. Every time he had killed someone, that thorn-like pain irritated him.

The trick was simply numbing it away. He had told the boy that he didn't have a conscience. That wasn't true, he just knew how to suppress it.

With a final glance, the dragon scanned over the boy's body. Death wasn't very easy on the eyes either. Body pale, eyes robbed of their sparkle, blood every-

Blood.

Blood?

What blood?

Icy realization hit him. _'Why isn't there a single drop of blood?'_

Numbness washed over his body like a cold, dead stream. He blinked hazily, teetering to the side, having to catch himself from falling. Slowly, he moved his head, his eyes staring at the mechanical claw below him. It took him a moment to realize that said claw was stabbed straight through his chest. He saw rivers of fluid scarlet wash from his body like a leaking drain, and then came the pain.

The mind-bending, torturous, horrible pain.

Trained his whole life as a warrior, he did not scream, only gasped as he clumsily fell to his knees, his eyes still dead-set on the claw sticking out of his body.

His vision caught a cluster of blue sparks. Raising his blood-soaked face up ever so slightly, he saw the fallen boy before him sizzle with electricity, the image of his body fading away like a broken television. Static seemed to ripe through Tails and then his whole persona simply blinked away, replaced by a mannequin-like robot with a hole in its stomach.

Komodo's bloodied lips cracked into a smile. "I see, you...replaced yourself...with that...thing."

A bloody cough.

Behind him, the young Tails closed his eyes, turning his head away from the gruesome scene he himself had caused. His virgin touch of innocence was broken; he had killed someone. Respecting his dying opponent enough to not let his sentence fall on deaf ears, he replied, his voice croaky and heavy.

"Yeah, I used a hologram projector to make the android look exactly like me, while it camouflaged my body." He raised the tiny eye-like ball into his field of vision. His maneuver was all about replacement, and it had worked perfectly.

Komodo released a short, hoarse laugh. "Outsmarted by a kid, and here I thought I had you."

Tails couldn't hold back a choked sob. "I'm sorry, I wish it didn't have to come to this."

His vision beginning to darken, the lizard warrior smiled again, droplets of blood falling from his chin. "Don't worry about it, kid. I was exactly like you when I killed for the first time. It's difficult, but it turns you into a man."

With a swift tug, Tails ripped the mechanical claw he had attacked to his left hand out of Komodo's dying body. Without the support, the dragon began to fall to the side, but Tails rushed forward and caught him, lying him down gently on his back.

"With my...death," he coughed, "You...will become a warrior. Don't back down...from your foes...no matter how strong...they are."

His hitched breathing ceased.

Unable to hold himself back, the young fox collapsed to his knees, his forehead slamming onto the cold, metal ground. Tears flowed freely from his closed eyes, the blood of the one he had killed staining his soft fur.

* * * *

With heavy breath, Tikal burst through a heavy metal door, light spilling into her vision. She blinked, immediately noticing the figure donned in a black robe leaning against the other door at the opposite end of the room, twirling a single green leaf between slender beige fingers.

The others burst through the door behind the echidna princess, and she quickly raised a hand to stop them.

"Man, how many of you freaks are there?" Sonic yelled in outrage at having his route once again blocked by a black robed figure.

The twirling of the leaf stopped.

"My orders are to stop you three."

The leaf was pointed at Amy, then at Tikal, and finally towards Blaze. It was definitely a feminine voice, soft and alluring, but also hidden with a deep fury.

"Try it, bitch!" Blaze yelled, her fists igniting with fire.

The twirling leaf resumed its dance. "The rest of you may go on ahead."

The fire user's temper flared again, the flames dancing across her hands almost doubling in size. She had completely ignored her! With a swift slice of the arm, the motion as fluid as an undisturbed stream, Blaze shot a flame blast at the blocking antagonist.

_"Dance."_

The tiny, almost insignificant leaf in the hand of the robed figure burst into a clutter of thorny vines, slithering in front of the unidentified female and taking the ball of fire Blaze had shot at her to its core. Almost half of the green plant burned away in a hot crisp, but the rest that remained retracted back into the form of the leaf, once again twirling in her fingers.

"I suppose I should tell you my name now. It's Grove."

With a tug of her free hand, the enemy of the heroes lifted the black hood off her head, revealing a stunning forest-green and beige chameleon girl with lightly-shaded purple eyes. Her dazzling looks were alluring and her eyes were mesmerizing, and the male members of the group had to stop themselves from staring at her for too long.

"We don't have time for this," Blaze spat, her eyes scanning over the male members of the group, "And it's obvious that none of you can handle this. The rest of you go ahead, Tikal and I will handle this." Her gaze met Tikal's. "Right?"

The princess nodded curtly. "Of course."

Sonic defied the idea instantly. "No way. Splitting up is exactly what they want us to do! We've already left behind Chaos and Tails, we won't leave you two here!"

"Think for a second!" Blaze snapped, her fiery gaze never leaving Grove's stationary form, "If we don't catch up to Sarx in time, he'll release Nova, which could mean the loss of thousands of innocent lives. Against those stakes, wagering our own safety is nothing!" She turned to him, her face contorted in anger. "Do you really want the world to end just because you're hesitant about leaving us here to fight?"

The hedgehog, whether he wanted to admit it or not, was beaten by the feline's logic. Against his will, he lowered his head. "Fine. If you win, meet up with Tails and Chaos and come find us."

The fire user smiled. "Don't worry, none of us are going to die."

Returning her smile with one of his own, Sonic wasted no more time and took off in a wisp of blue, sped past Grove, ripped the door open, and ran through, leaving the rest of the heroes behind.

"He could have waited on the rest of us," Knuckles sighed, also beginning to stroll away, Amy, Rouge, and Algos hot on his tail. Grove eyed the group for a moment. There was no way she could've stopped the blue hedgehog, his speed was beyond belief and she couldn't fight six enemies at once either. So, much to the shock of everyone else in the room, she simply stepped aside and let the rest of the group pass without a word.

When the last of the group, Algos, passed through the door along with his massive mass of floating sand, Grove slapped a delicate hand against the frame, pushing it until it closed with a resounding click.

Her keen eyes scanned over Tikal and Blaze. _'The cat and her fire is going to be a problem and the other doesn't seem like a pushover either.'_

Blaze's hands ignited again. "Let's not stand here and waste time!" Her gaze met Tikal's. "Ready?"

The princess nodded.

In a wisp of beige, she was out of sight, even startling Blaze slightly. Grove got into a defensive stance, her eyes searching for her opponent. Ears flickering, she picked up a faint sound, sounding something like thunder. A teleportation technique? No. It was something else, something...

"Dance!"

The leaf within her hand once again exploded to life, transforming into a vast sea of prickly, thick green vines that surrounded the chameleon on all sides, acting as a barrier, and for good reason too. A sizzling blast of Chaos energy slammed against the vines, burning a hole straight through them but leaving its occupant unharmed. Through the small hole, Grove could clearly sea Tikal for a split second before she disappeared in a flash of lines, the sound of thunder once again striking through the air.

"You're open!" a voice from above yelled.

With wide purple eyes, Grove snapped her head up to see Blaze right above her, exposing the only weak spot of her defense. With both fists aflame, she reeled back her arms, pouring more fire into her hands.

"Blossom!" Grove said hastily.

The thick vines surrounding her were shredded apart by an unseen force, reassembling into the small leaf they started out as. As soon as the leaf was back to its original form, it transformed once again, this time into a rain of green flower petals, each the size of Grove herself, with four large leaves that were stocked to the core with lion tooth-sized thorns. With no time left to spare, the plant warrior barrel-rolled to the side just in time to avoid being burned to a crisp by Blaze's Heat Wave attack, which scorched a ten-foot perimeter of the ground.

Still in mid-air and unable to move her body, the fire-user saw all of the giant, now spinning flower petals with razor-sharp leaves fly at her, but was unable to do anything about it. She lacked a technique that could burst out of her whole body, she could only send fire through her arms. Raising her knees to her stomach and forming her arms over her head, she was prepared for the worst when she suddenly felt a tug at her collar, followed by the indescribable feeling at moving at high speeds.

The next thing she knew, Blaze was crouched safely on the ground, Tikal standing tall next to her. Not wasting any time, the feline charged again, her arms ignited with fire. Tikal was at her side at an instant, her right hand dancing with a Heavenly Arrow.

The spinning flower petals hovered around their master, eerily floating in the air, waiting and ready to strike at any moment. When the two females were close enough, Grove gave the silent command and the six, razor-sharp petals blasted towards Blaze and Tikal.

With a quiet elegance, both heroes evaded the frontal attacks with ease, continuing their charge for Grove, who was now left wide open for attack. Blaze's body burned and Tikal's hand sizzled as they appeared in front of the chameleon.

"Sprout."

The six spinning petals behind Blaze and Tikal burst into a rain of leaves, all of which swarmed to Grove faster than they could even hope to reach her. For a moment they reassembled into the small green leaf she had started out with. The leaf danced within her hand for a nano-second before falling into the metallic ground.

All hell broke loose.

The single, tiny leaf sent a shock wave through the floor, making both Blaze and Tikal collapse onto their knees. Faster than they could react, a single, monstrous tree erupted from the ground right before them, sprouting all the way to the ceiling. Behind them, another tree erupted. Then another, then another.

It was not long before an entire forest had emerged from the ground, covering every inch of the large room in plant life. Blaze stood first, shortly followed by Tikal. Their eyes scanned for Grove, but she had disappeared. The tables were turned now, they were in her environment, on her playing field.


	65. Retaliation

**Chapter 65 - Retaliation**

"We must be cautious," Tikal murmured to her ally.

Blaze resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the princess. _'Well, no shit! Grove has the advantage over us now!'_

Her keen yellow eyes scanned over the miniature forest. There were large trees, shrubs, bushes, even some vegetation. How could a single leaf produce this much life? Grove's ability was a very unique one indeed, one that the fire user had never encountered before.

A beat passed.

Blaze barrel-rolled to the side in the nick of time, avoiding getting crushed by a giant tree that had suddenly lunged forward. Making sure Tikal was fine as well, her arms lit up with flames as the tree returned to its normal, vertical position, remaining as still as it was before it attempted to turn them into pancakes.

"Dammit!" Blaze cursed, her head whipping around furiously in an attempt to spot any other attack. "How are we suppose to fight an entire forest?"

"We must destroy the one giving the forest life," was Tikal's simple answer.

"Grove?" the feline blinked, but then her features scrunched up in anger. "She's probably camouflaged in here somewhere, but there's no way to find her."

"You forget that I can sense Chaos energy."

Closing her eyes, the princess went into a deep meditative state, clasping her palms together as her mind reached out for any other trace of Chaos energy in the room. She was in so deep, so concentrated, that she didn't even notice the spiked vine headed straight for her.

_'I have to protect her! She's vulnerable while searching for Grove!' _Blaze thought hastily, shooting a sphere of fire at the vine, effectively burning it and keeping the orange-furred female out of harm's way.

Tikal's aquamarine eyes snapped open. "Three hundred fifty-two feet southwest."

Without any delay, Blaze and Tikal sprang forward, dashing into the direction of their enemy. The fire user's eyes searched for Grove, but she knew that it was pointless. The forest was green, just like the plant-user herself, there was no way she could be spotted by the naked eye.

"There!" the echidna warrior yelled, pointing a slim finger to the high branch of a large tree.

Not even bothering to confirm whether Grove was actually there or not, Blaze pushed more fire into her arms, sending a huge ball of flames into the tree with one swift throw. The tree burst apart in flames and scorched wood, shaking the very ground they stood on with the explosion.

Blaze smirked slightly, finally spotting their opponent.

Grove was hunched over on the ground, one lithe hand tightly grasping onto her burned and bloodied left shoulder. Her breathing was hitched and her body was shaking. That was definitely an effective and powerful blow they had dealt her. The tree she had been hiding in collapsed with a loud crash behind her, but the chameleon did not flinch. Her half-lidded violet eyes were upon her opponents.

"You're techniques have a fatal flaw," Tikal explained, her voice neutral but still managing to sound heavenly, "You have a medium in order to use it, in other words, the leaf. Also, once initiating a technique, you can't use another until the medium has been returned to you. You start each technique with a verbal command, triggering your Chaos energy. Each ability is started by a different command."

"Flawless," Grove replied. "You've managed to expose the exact way in which I fight, I'm impressed." Her eyes narrowed, her features turning to rage for the first time since the start of the fight. "However, did you think I didn't already know all that? I'm aware of my own weaknesses, and know how to bypass them."

That's when they saw it, the small object Grove had been twirling in her fingers. It was another leaf, another medium, which meant that she could once again use her attacks and defenses even while the forest technique was still activated.

"Blossom!"

The small leaf within her hand burst into six flower petals armed to the inch with razor-sharp thorns, hovering around her form in a protective circle. With a flick of her wrist, they all soared towards Tikal and Blaze. The duo split apart, Blaze creating a rain of fire around her for protection while Tikal used her mysterious technique from before, phasing in and out of sight to avoid the three petals that had gone after her.

Taking advantage of the two being distracted, Grove darted forward, a third leaf between her fingers.

"Dance!"

The leaf began to glow neon green before sprouting into a long vine whip, armed with thorns to the core. Reeling her arm back, Grove slashed the whip at Tikal, who had just fazed into her line of sight. A loud smack rang through the air, followed by a splat as a clot of blood hit the ground. The echidna fell to one knee, her hand grasping her split open shoulder. She grimaced, pain ringing through her senses.

"Tikal!" Blaze yelled, fury dancing in her eyes.

She had seen her companion being hit, but that wasn't what worried her. Now that her defenses were down, Tikal was wide open to an attack from the three leaf petals. Acting before thinking, the fire-user charged forward, surrounding her body with a shield composed of her mystic flames. Grove had already sprung back at her approach, but ordered the petals to kill Tikal nonetheless.

In a split second, Blaze was beside Tikal, opening up her protective barrier and surrounding Tikal as well just as the petals hit her shield. The lush green petals stood no change against the raging flames and were incinerated.

"You okay?" Blaze asked inside of the fire sphere, her fur highlighted so it looked orange.

Tikal nodded. It was more the shock of the wound than the pain that left her open to attack, but she had no idea that Grove had a third leaf. She promised herself not to be careless like that again. The princess gulped loudly. The heat was getting to her. She wasn't like Blaze, who was born to use fire. If she stayed inside of the barrier much longer, she would die.

Blaze read her thoughts perfectly. With a snap of her gloved fingers, the fire barrier around them disappeared as if a truck-load of water had been poured on it.

"Go for the left shoulder," the feline whispered to her companion, who nodded hazily.

Blaze mentally cursed. The last thing she needed right now was for Tikal to give out on her. She couldn't protect an unconscious ally and defeat her enemy at the same time!

Tikal's sapphire eyes narrowed. _'Please, read my movements correctly, Blaze!'_

She was losing a lot of blood and couldn't remain conscious much longer if she continued to fight. She had to end it here and now. Glancing at Blaze, she met her golden eyes. A silent and mutual understanding was passed between the two and the in the next moment, the princess took off with a literal boom, phasing out of sight.

Grove focused on finding the princess instantly, her vine whip grasped tightly in her hand, her three remaining flower petals hovering around her head. Tikal wasn't reappearing, so something was definitely off.

There was a noise oddly resembling thunder.

_'Above!'_ the chameleon suddenly realized, her violet eyes headed for the space above her.

Sure enough, there was Tikal, a Heavenly Arrow dancing in each hand. With throws as fluid as water, two of the flower petals were destroyed before she disappeared from sight again. Grove mentally cursed. If she kept disappearing like that, she couldn't get in a good hit.

Another strike of thunder and before she knew it, her last flower petal was shredded to pieces before her very eyes as Tikal landed before her. Her third leaf floated silently between the two. Grove waited and as soon as it hit the ground, she began her attack.

"Mistake!" Grove yelled, reeling her arm back and sending her whip flying at Tikal.

With a satisfying ripping sound, the whip tore through Tikal's dress and skin, creating a bloody gash across her left collarbone and tearing one of the shoulder straps of her dress, exposing her left shoulder and a small portion of her chest, although she still remained decent.

Grove reeled back her whip.

There was a tug at the other end. Gasping, she looked on with shock as Tikal kept the whip securely wrapped between her fingers, although the thorns were digging deeply into her skin. She smirked lightly as she met Grove's stunned gaze.

But, she would have the last laugh. Her fears were calmed when she spotted her third and final leaf laying on the ground before her. All it would take to send that echidna straight back to heaven was a single word.

"Blosso--"

A hand was clasped over her mouth.

"You know, you talk way too much."

Grove couldn't believe it. She had made a final and fatal mistake in forgetting about her other opponent while she was caught up in fighting Tikal. Blaze had easily used that distraction and sneaked around her, using her very own forest as cover.

"This is the end for you!" Blaze hissed into her ear, beginning to ignite her Heat Wave technique.

Grove felt the heat rising around her as if she had been thrown into a furnace. Her body began to sweat and her vision grew blurry. She knew that she had lost, there was no way for her to get out of this.

"Heat Wave!"

Blaze and Grove became engulfed in a fiery vortex, one so powerful that it knocked the weakened Tikal back a few feet. The heat emitted from that attack was insane; the princess had never felt anything like it. It was like being ten feet away from the sun itself. Covering her eyes, the echidna crouched on the ground to avoid any damage from Blaze's monstrous fire storm.

Then, just as quick as it had come, the fire was gone.

Tikal raised her head, seeing Blaze standing before her alone, waves of smoke rolling off her body like steam. Grove was completely incinerated, the short fight between them was over. With its master gone, the forest around them began to wither like a flower that had not received any water, turning gray and eventually black before chipping away like old stone. It was not long before the entire forest was gone.

Tikal smiled for a moment, until a quick jolt of pain clawed its way through her injured shoulder, making her wince. Blaze was beside her in a second, her keen golden eyes carefully examining the wound. It wasn't too deep, but it was definitely a flesh wound. The skin was completely split apart. She knew that Tikal had healing abilities to some extent, but she didn't know if she could heal herself.

"Can you heal your wound?" the flame-cat asked, concern lacing her voice.

Tikal bit her lip, but nodded. "Yes, but it will take some time and we don't have that luxury."

Blaze sighed and closed her eyes. For a moment, she remained still before she reopened them. "Stay here and heal. I'll go look for Tails and Chaos and I'll meet you back here, all right?"

Tikal had been around for a long time, even though technically she was only eighteen, but even with cheated age came wisdom. Regrouping was a smart thing to do, but she didn't know if she could trust the others to find and beat Sarx before he unleashed the first Titan Beast. The princess sighed; she would just have to put her faith in them.

Tikal nodded again. "Very well. By the time you return, I shall have my wound taken care of."

Blaze smiled, turned tail, and took off through the door they came into, on her search for the two allies they left behind so that they could advance. She knew Chaos was probably all right, but she prayed that Tails was still okay. Hopefully he didn't encounter an enemy, but knowing where they were, it was unlikely.

The feline bit her lip. _'I just hope we can stop Sarx before the world gets plunged into hell.'_


	66. Powers of the Phoenix Unleashed

**Chapter 66 - Powers of the Phoenix Unleashed**

Sand and wood splinters cut through the air like rain. Through the destroyed door stepped Algos, the sand-manipulator of the group. His keen blue eyes didn't even have to move, for their next obstacle was straight ahead of them. Sonic, Knuckles, Silver, Amy, and Rouge came through the door as well, halting behind the tall hedgehog leading them.

The echidna of the group smirked. "I was wondering when you were gonna show up."

At the center of the chamber that mimicked those that came before it, stood Kakos the Fox, his black robe fully discarded to reveal his lean but muscular body. His green eyes gleamed at the sight of the echidna. "Still alive I see, Knuckles."

He pointed a finger at the guardian. "The road for you ends here, echidna, we still have a score to settle." His eyes wavered to Sonic for a moment. "I don't care about the rest of you. Eclipse is more than enough to kill you losers."

Sonic's jade eyes widened. "Eclipse?"

The fox's smirk turned into a frown, but just for a moment, before it arched up again. "D-D-Di-Di-Did I stutter, you moronic fur-dyer?"

The hero mentally face-planted. That was the second time someone used that insult on him! Sure, blue wasn't the most natural of colors, but - he eyed Amy - at least it wasn't pink! Who's hair is pink? That brief moment of thought ended when his mind once again focused on what he was just told.

Eclipse, the one Shadow was after, was dead ahead. They had failed to capture the Ark slayer when he and his little gang invaded Angel Island, but now he was cornered. Sonic slammed a fist into his open palm. He would end it right here and now, his battle plan was already set in his mind:

Beat the hell outta Eclipse.

Lure Shadow to Angel Island.

Beat the hell outta Shadow and make him see the error of his ways.

The plan was fool-proof!

"You heard him," Knuckles announced, stepping forward, "Go on ahead, I'll handle this prick."

"But you're an incarnation!" Rouge protested, "We'll need you if Sarx releases Nova!"

The echidna smirked cockily, flexing his right arm. "Do you really think I need more than five minutes to take this joker down?"

Sonic was about to tell him to be careful and utter some words of advice, but thought twice about it. In their current group, the guardian's physical strength exceeded any of theirs. He seemed to be a good match for Kakos, who also used physical attacks.

With a nod to Knuckles, Sonic walked past Algos and his barrier of sand, followed closely by the rest of the group. Amy and Rouge looked unsure and uttered the echidna a few words of encouragement, who just smiled politely and nodded back in acknowledgment. Sonic snorted. Knuckles didn't need any encouragement. He had a score to settle.

Catching Kakos' eyes for a split second, Sonic stuck his tongue out at the fox, who simply flipped him the bird in response. An offended look crossed the hero's face and he turned away, continuing out of the door behind Sarx's flunky, followed by Silver, Amy, Rouge, and finally Algos.

"How's the arm? Did Sarx replace it for you?" Knuckles hissed, beginning to circle around his opponent, who followed suite and mimicked his actions.

"Good as new." Kakos replied with a confident smirk, "But nothing's changed. I'm still gonna kick your ass, only this time, you won't survive."

"Then let's just skip the warm-up session," the guardian smirked. "I'm going to go all-out from the beginning."

The fox grinned, rock armor secreting from his body and covering both of his hands. "Let's see them then; the powers of the Phoenix!"

"Gladly."

Knuckles stopped circling, remaining completely still. Kakos followed suite, watching his opponent with a mild curiosity.

_"Is it finally that time?"_

_Knuckles, surrounded by darkness on all sides, stared into the giant mirror before him, clearly seeing the red silhouette of a giant bird in the reflection. He clenched his fists, taking a moment to simply stare in awe at the monstrous, ancient beast. But, she had asked him a question, and he would most definitely answer._

_"Yes. I wish to use your powers."_

_The mythical fire bird separated by the mirror remained silent for a moment, studying the echidna with gem-green eyes that had seen more than any mortal could ever dream of. The Phoenix lowered her head, flames waving in a calm rhythm off her body as if the fire itself were her feathers. Knuckles didn't dare break eye contact, but he did not glare to show any disrespect either. After a momentary stand-off, the legendary beast seemed satisfied._

_"Very well, guardian of the Heaven Stone, I shall give you a portion of my powers."_

_The mirror cracked and out poured the dancing flames of the Phoenix, grasping a tight hold of the echidna and enveloping him like a blanket. He felt it, he felt the raw power, the fire literally burning through his veins as he became one with the ancient beast of legend. Fire surrounded like a protective cocoon, and he graciously accepted the gift._

_He was Knuckles the Echidna, guardian of the Master Emerald, and the first incarnation._

Kakos' mouth lifted into a slight sneer at the burst of fire that erupted from his opponent. Annoyed, he covered his eyes to avoid getting them damaged from the bright light the echidna was emitting. The last thing he needed now was damaged vision. The fox gave Knuckles his little "power-up" moment. After all, it just wouldn't be fun if the fight would have have ended after two minutes.

Lowering his hand slightly, Kakos peered through split fingers to see the guardian standing in the same spot as before, only now there was a sea of brilliantly golden-red flames surrounding him. His eyes were closed, as if he was in deep concentration. The fox narrowed his eyes; he was still unleashing the first form.

This was taking way too long.

"Time's up!" the vulpine barked, taking off towards the guardian.

Knuckles clenched his teeth at the sight of the charging Kakos. He was still in stage zero and it would take at least thirty more seconds to reach stage one! Cursing, the echidna ceased his transformation to the next stage and ducked under his enemy's fist, which sailed over his head.

He retaliated instantly with a quick hook to the stomach, but instead of coming into contact with skin and flesh, he hit solid rock. Eyes widening, he felt jolts of pain slithering into his hand and up his arm until it reached his shoulder. His entire arm shuddered from the impact and became numb for a moment. It was then, as he redirected his gaze to Kakos' stomach, that he realized the fox had covered his stomach and chest in rock armor.

Left completely open, Knuckles felt the sting of Kakos' fist against his face before he was sent sailing back, hitting the blank white wall of the room with a thunderous crash, chipping, scorching and crushing the marble stone behind him. He fell off the wall, but managed to catch himself on his knees, the chips of stone hitting his fire-infused back smoldering to ashes on contact.

Kakos smirked, examining the fist he had used to hit the echidna. The rock was smoldering, but what he really wanted was what had happened: he didn't feel the heat of Knuckles' fire cloak. He eyed his stomach, also smoldering but otherwise unharmed. Since Knuckles was only in stage zero, the heat he emitted wasn't as great as stage one. He was in luck; if the echidna knew how to unlock the third or even the second stage, it would have been another story.

Knuckles slowly rose to his feet, subconsciously trying to unlock the next form, but he knew that he needed to concentrate and it would look too obvious. It looked like for now, he would just have to fight in stage zero. Taking off, the guardian's purple eyes narrowed as he tightened his right hand into a fist, concentrating his fiery energy around it to make it hotter.

The fox quietly observed the charging Knuckles, his mind running through his battle plan. _'He concentrated the heat of his cloak onto his fist. Which means there has to be a spot with less fire now.' _His eyes scanned over the echidna's form for a moment before he noticed that a part of the fire that surrounded him seemed much more dull around his left shoulder. _'There!'_

Knuckles' punch was overly simple, and Kakos had no trouble in dodging it, simply moving his upper body to the left and out of the way of the fiery fist. Eyes gleaming, he honed in on the weak spot in Knuckles' fire armor and sent his rock-covered fist sailing at the echidna's shoulder.

"Gotcha."

The dull spot of fire around Knuckles' shoulder exploded into a funnel of flames that snaked from his armor and slammed into Kakos' exposed left arm. Not even able to let out a startled cry, the fox was sent sailing back into the wall opposite of the one Knuckles hit, his extra weight from the rock armor making him tear through the stone and create a hole in the wall, in which he disappeared from sight.

_'I have to hurry!'_

Closing his eyes and clenching his fists, Knuckles concentrated on the Phoenix residing in his mind and the cracked mirror, drawing the last bit of fiery energy from the mythical bird that he could. With a loud swoosh, the first stage of the Phoenix form was fully unleashed.

The shapeless coat of fire surrounding the guardian morphed into the flaming silhouette of a wingless Phoenix. It was as if Knuckles was covered by a shield of fiery aura in the shape of a bird. Fire claws were surrounding his feet, an elegant head with feathers and a beak surrounded his head, and two wing stubs were on his back, although they were all part of the fire that surrounded him, not part of his actual body.

Knuckles sighed slowly, opening his eyes, which were now an elegant and beautiful gem-green.

The eyes of the Phoenix.

"Oh well," came a voice from across the giant room, "I guess it'll be more interesting now."

The guardian remained calm at the sight of Kakos jumping out of the gaping hole in the wall, dusting off his head and arms. His entire right arm was burned beyond recognition: the fur was completely scorched off, blood and boils covered it everywhere, and it was still smoldering.

Knuckles didn't have a long time to look at the injury he had caused, because the very next moment, rock armor slithered from his already encased hand over his arm, moving like a spilled liquid over an empty floor. His other arm followed the next second, also being covered by the protective rock. Now his stomach, chest, and both arms were completely protected.

_'He suppressed the fire around his shoulder and used his fist to distract me. Not bad.'_

"I remember when we first met," Kakos laughed, beginning to walk towards his opponent, who remained still, "You didn't even touch me. But now look at you, managing to burn my arm half-off! You've improved a lot."

"Spare me your compliments," Knuckles deadpanned, the grace and self-control of the Phoenix beginning to affect his attitude.

Kakos grinned. "You should be flattered, since I don't usually compliment the dead."

The Phoenix-shaped energy around Knuckles flared as if it had a temper of its own. Kakos stopped in his tracks. He was still at least twenty feet away, but the heat the warrior was unleashing could be felt extremely well. Perspiration was already beginning to settle against the fox's face, but he merely swiped if off with a slash of his hand.

"Even if you were able to beat me, I'll be reborn from the ashes of my defeat."


	67. Thunder's Fury

**Chapter 67 - Thunder's Fury**

Kakos' grin died at the echidna warrior's sudden and bold words, his brows furrowing. "You'll revive from your ashes, huh?"

Knuckles remained motionless, the fiery entity of the Phoenix dancing around his body. His wise, emerald-green eyes observed the fox before him with a quiet curiosity.

"Then I'll be sure that there's nothing left of you, not even ashes!" Kakos snarled, his mouth twisting into a fanged grin.

A tense moment passed, and then his entire lower body was covered in rock armor, followed by his back. With nothing but his head left free from the rocky substance, the fox narrowed his eyes at Knuckles. The echidna remained unprovoked and still. He didn't even flinch when Kakos covered his head with the rock armor as well, leaving only his eyes and mouth exposed. The fox was now completely encased within his heavy armor of rock, and it looked impossible to penetrate.

"For what you've gained in strength, you've lost in speed," were Knuckles' simple words as he stared down his opponent.

The vulpine's exposed moth arched into a lopsided smirk. "Didn't you learn not to judge based on appearances? If I remember correctly, you made the same mistake last time."

_Flashback_

_Knuckles' eyes were narrowed, his brows furrowed, and the teeth in his closed mouth grit. He didn't know why this character was so confident in himself. Surely he had to have heard of them?_

_The figure stalked on until they were both only a couple of feet apart. Knuckles silently noted that the intruder was wearing big, brown boots that reached halfway between his ankles and knees. So, not the speed type then? He was guessing the fox relied more on his strength._

_With a deafening battle cry, Knuckles darted forward, his fist drawn and ready to strike. In one fluid motion, the echidna hooked his arm, aiming right for Kakos' chin._

_The fox's smirk disappeared when he caught the spiked fist in a flash, his sleeve fluttering from the sudden jerking motion._

"_You thought I was slow, didn't you?" Kakos asked, amused at the echidna's shock-written face, "Well, looks can be deceiving!"_

_And with another move as fast as lighting, Kakos kneed Knuckles in the gut, momentarily throwing the bottom of his cloak up to reveal his auburn legs. Blood shot out of the guardian's mouth as his violet eyes widened in pain. Doubling over, the echidna collapsed onto the ground in front of the fiery-furred fox._

_End Flashback_

"I'm not as naive as I was back then," the echidna replied evenly, careful not to let his temper flare up. Although he had to say that keeping his emotions was a lot easier now thanks to the Phoenix affecting his judgement to some extent.

"Then let's see you stop this!"

Before Knuckles could even so much as reply, he felt an eerie sense of danger trickle down his spine. Going by instincts alone, he leaped high into the air and off the ground, just as a giant rock fist burst from the ground where he had been standing not two seconds ago. The fist was followed by a long, bulky arm that slithered through the air towards the echidna.

Focused only on avoiding the attack, Knuckles pointed both palms flat at the approaching rock arm and sent a shockwave of fire coursing through his own arms, throwing a blast of flames through the air. The attack hit its mark and destroyed the rock arm in a fiery inferno. Bits of scorched and burned rock sailed through the air in all directions, some of which hit Knuckles' Phoenix cloak and simply burned to ashes.

As the Master Emerald guardian landed on the ground, his eyes were instantly upon Kakos, who was crouched in the same spot he was in with both of his rocky arms dug into the ground.

_'Wait, that means--!'_

Once again cut off from his train of thought, the echidna barely managed to avoid another rock arm that Kakos had aimed at his head. As a quick observation, he noticed that the manifested arm was made of the same material he was standing on. Knowing that Kakos could manipulate anything composed of rock and earth, the warrior came to the conclusion that he was most definitely at a disadvantage here, being in a room made of marble.

The rock arm came for him again, this time head-on. Knowing that he could easily destroy it, Knuckles simply pointed a flat palm towards it and released a Thunder Arrow, which absorbed some of the Phoenix's powers and turned into a crimson bolt of energy that easily shattered the approaching rock arm in a fiery explosion.

Then, all Knuckles saw was white.

It took a good two seconds for his brain to register the pain of the blow and send its message coursing through his body. His ears were ringing as if a tank had just fired a shot a foot from him, and his eyes were completely glazed over. The echidna stumbled, falling to his knees, a fountain of blood leaving his mouth and nose with a chocked cough.

He blinked several times, seeing that his vision had upgraded from pure white to a blur of multiple colors. Giving it another second or two, he could finally see semi-clearly...only to witness another rock arm flying towards him.

Knowing that it was completely impossible to dodge, Knuckles grit his teeth and released a burst radius of fire from his Phoenix cloak around him, incinerating everything within a ten feet diameter of his body, including the rock arm that was headed towards him to end his life.

With a grunt, he regained his footing, keeping the fire shield around him flared up in case any other surprise attacks were headed for him. But, after a few seconds of nothing, he knew that he was just wasting energy, and let the form of the Phoenix around him cool down a little.

With a swipe of his arm, Knuckles wiped away some blood dripping from his chin, his eyes narrowing at Kakos, who had regained a vertical position. _'I see...he used the first arm to distract me and then used another to hit me from behind.'_

Kakos put a rocky finger to his chin. "Funny, I could have sworn that was the end of it. Not bad, I guess."

A pang of anger and hurt pride shot through the echidna. He was being completely underestimated, like the whole fight was mere child's play! Well, he was going to teach that arrogant fox what the last member of his race could do!

"Based on past experiences, I thought you echidnas were strong," Kakos chimed, another laugh escaping his throat.

_'Past experiences? What the hell is he talking about?'_

"With whom?" Knuckles asked flatly.

Seemingly lost within his own mind, the fox grunted a small "Hm?" and lifted his head before his eyes widened a little. "Whoops, looks like I let that one slip. Well, seeing as how you're not going to be able to talk anyway when I'm through with you, that won't come back to haunt me."

Damn, he didn't fall for it. And here he thought that this guy was a complete idiot.

Disregarding Kakos' statement as unimportant at the moment, Knuckles bent his knees and stuck out his scarred, right arm in a perfect horizontal position in front of him. "I don't have time to waste with you."

"You know, my orders not to kill you are getting harder to follow the more I hear you talk," Kakos sneered.

The fox remembered Sarx's words exactly.

_"Do not kill any of the incarnations."_

"You've been talking about destroying me, and now you're saying that you won't? Perhaps you're getting cold feet," Knuckles replied, a spark of azure energy dancing across his outstretched arm, followed by another.

Kakos smirked, crouching down and slamming his arms into the ground. "Not cold enough to disregard you charging up an attack."

_'Shit!' _Knuckles cursed in his mind as he jumped into the air to avoid a long, slender rock arm that was going to hit him from behind. Although he was maneuvering, the echidna still managed to keep charging up his Raikou, which was made clear by the sea of blue energy sparks that slithered across his arm.

The loud booming of thunder began to rattle the air, which meant that the warrior's most powerful attack was almost complete.

Feeling a tingle go down his spine, Knuckles spun around mid-air to see another arm flying towards him. Keeping calm and waiting for the opportune moment, he waited until the impending danger was no more than two feet away before slapping his palm against the rocky material and pushed his body higher into the air, both prolonging his air time and avoiding the attack.

Eying his outstretched arm, the echidna smirked slightly when the Raikou came to a completion as a sea of blue energy sparks hid his arm completely from view. Taking advantage of his current state, Knuckles pushed some of the Phoenix's powers into the attack, resulting in the energy sparks drowning from an azure-blue into a crimson-red.

The sound of thunder was now as clear as if a storm was raging right above them.

Kakos cursed, knowing that he could only get in two blows from his technique in one shot. Ripping his arms from the ground, he watched Knuckles land on the ground with the Raikou dancing across his arm. Feeling the immense amount of Chaos energy radiating from it, a cold shiver ran down his spine.

_'If he manages to catch my organic body with that, I'm through.'_

The vulpine crouched, knowing that his armor would not be enough to withstand the immense attack. Slamming his rocky palms onto the ground before him, he channeled his own Chaos energy through the rock below him.

With a crash, the ground before him tore apart and rose to a vertical position to form a protective wall. He switched his body to the left, repeating the actions and summoning another wall, doing the same on his right and finally behind him.

Now, all that was left to do was to see from which position the echidna would charge from, and then summon more walls there. The fox had to be careful though, half of his Chaos energy was already gone and sustaining his rock armor cost him a massive amount of energy as it was. He had to use his powers sparingly. Using his two rock arms again would be a waste, as the echidna would most likely avoid them again.

With a quick swipe, Knuckles flung his arm behind him and began his charge, merely jogging at first but then breaking out into an all-out sprint, the Raikou his arm was carrying literally tearing up the floor in his wake.

More continous, thunderous booms resembling a storm echoed through the air as the guardian approached his enemy. Kakos narrowed his eyes, judging his attack path. Based on the speed of his run and the massive strain the attack put on his arm, he knew that the guardian wasn't going to perform any last-minute side-steps or detours. In others words, he was charging straight on and headstrong.

Kakos remained crouched and repositioned his body so that he was facing the sprinting Knuckles, slamming both palms onto the ground again. The stone in front of his first frontal wall rumbled before another protective barrier emerged from the ground with a crash, followed by a third.

Sweating under his rocky armor, Kakos released a heavy breath. That cost him a lot more energy than he would have hoped; he only had a third of his full Chaos energy left.

Knuckles lifted his arm carrying the Raikou, adrenaline and the powers of the Phoenix pumping through his veins. He only saw and felt red as everything seemed to happen in slow motion. With the echidna having reached his mark, his arm shot forward, turning the Master Emerald guardian into a crimson arrow of death. He felt his heart rate increase with each step he came closer to hitting the stone barrier.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.

Putting all of his strength and energy into the attack, Knuckles' fiery Raikou crashed against Kakos' rock barrier.


	68. An Echidna's Resolve

**Chapter 68 - An Echidna's Resolve**

Shafts of crimson light and energy spun through the giant room that was marked as the battlefield between Knuckles and Kakos. Rock was scorched and torn apart as the heated Chaos energy from the echidna warrior's Raikou dug into the fox's stone barriers, utterly annihilating them into microscopic pieces.

Kakos clenched his teeth, his eyes widened at the sheer power of his opponent's attack. The Raikou had already dug through the first and second barrier, and was now making quick work of the last one between him and the ferocious, Phoenix-infused attack.

Disregarding the fact that he was still running low on Chaos energy, the fox slammed his palms onto the ground, channeling energy into the rock beneath him. A beat passed in which Knuckles and his Raikou broke through the last barrier. Mere feet away from being completely destroyed by the attack, two stone hands erupted from the ground right in front of Kakos, palms-open, trying to block the attack.

Even though it was a valiant, last-ditch effort on Kakos' part, the upgraded Raikou shredded through the stone hands as if they were mere paper, finally reaching Knuckles' intended target: the auburn fox himself.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Kakos poured half of his remaining Chaos energy into his rock armor, hardening it substantially and adding a few extra layers to it just as the Raikou slammed into him. The sound of thunder rang through the fox's ears as he felt the wind get knocked out of him and the immense heat of the attack as it dug into his rock armor.

Flying back at speeds only Sonic or Shadow could match, Kakos went straight through the stone barrier he had summoned behind him as if it was made of Styrofoam, continuing his arrow-like path until he collided with the wall of the room with a loud crash.

Dust and debris was thrown into the air as rocks and boulders crumbled onto the fallen Kakos, burying him beneath them in what Knuckles hoped to be a permanent grave. The echidna lowered his arm, satisfied to not feel the agonizing, stinging, burning pain coiling across it. The Raikou's heat had always damaged his arm, put now that he had the Phoenix to protect him, his attack was no longer double-edged: it was his ultimate weapon.

The guardian didn't even flinch when Kakos burst from the hole he had been drilled into, a sea of stone spikes littered across his now damaged and crumbling armor. Jumping back to put a little more distance between him and the charging fox, Knuckles drew his left arm back and gathered a Thunder Arrow, hurling it at his approaching enemy.

Kakos saw the overly simple attack coming from a mile away and, with a swipe of his arm, swatted the attack away like it was merely a bothersome insect, continuing his murderous charge. His green eyes were bloodshot, partly because of the damage that had been done to them, and partly because all the blood that was pouring from his head was pooling into them.

When he was about twenty feet away from the echidna, the fox leaped high into the air, curling his rock-covered body into a tight, spiked ball.

"Stone Arrow Grenade!"

Uncurling his body, all the spikes that had accumulated on his armor shot out in all directions at dangerously fast speed.

Knuckles cursed, knowing that projectiles of that velocity could actually get through the Phoenix's protective fire cloak. _'I don't have a choice, I have to use the elemental attack!'_

With less than a few seconds before the stone spikes skewered him and everything in the room, Knuckles pointed both palms at the incoming projectiles, gathering the mystic fire of the Phoenix within his hands. He knew about this technique, the one that had awakened the moment he had unleashed the Phoenix's first form, and although it would take all of his elemental energy that he needed to maintain the first stage, he had to use it now, knowing that he would still have some of his Chaos energy left over.

The echidna finished charging the attack in the nick of time, a giant ball of fire now surrounding each of his hands. Aiming them at the incoming rock spikes, he shouted the name of the Phoenix's granted attack to the heavens.

"**Flames of Fury: Phoenix Flowers**!"

The two balls of fiery energy within his palms burst into a hailstorm of small fire balls that soaked the chamber with heat and light. Literally hundreds of fire spheres zapped across the sky and each of Kakos' stone arrows that were headed towards Knuckles was deflected and burned to a crisp.

Kakos' eyes widened at the guardian's sudden use of his elemental attack. Although he was a grunt, he knew of the powers granted by the seven legendary beasts, and that a specific attack came with the transformations. Gritting his teeth, the fox threw himself on the ground to avoid the sea of fire headed in all directions. He couldn't use up the last amount of precious Chaos energy he had left to dodge an attack that Knuckles would surely follow with another.

The ceiling, walls, and floor around the two warriors were completely destroyed by the stone spikes that had survived and Knuckles' storm of fire. Rock crumbled, burned and crushed under the combined might and destructive force of the two attacks.

Kakos remained as low as possible, feeling the fire balls fly only a few inches over his head. The temperature of the room was becoming unbearable, it was like being stuck in an oven. Just as quick as the storm of fire had arrived, it ended and the fox laying low on the ground rose to his feet once he knew the coast was clear. He was sweating buckets, but he had not been hit.

The fox's eyes landed on Knuckles, and a smirk played its way onto his lips at the sight of a Phoenix-less echidna. "That was a mistake; to use that attack and lose the protection of the Phoenix."

"I don't need the Phoenix to beat you. Look at you, you're barely standing and have practically no Chaos energy left," Knuckles spat, the temperature of the room also getting to him.

Kakos frowned, knowing that the guardian was right. He raised his hand and stared at it, noticing that what was left of his armor was beginning to chip off. If he wanted to have enough energy left for one last attack, he had to lose the armor; it was costing him too much energy.

Ceasing his concentration and out pour of Chaos energy, the rest of the rock armor chipped and fell off his body, creating a sloppy circle of broken rock around him. He studied Knuckles' form, taking notice as to how the echidna was hunched over and breathing heavily. He was almost out of Chaos energy as well, but had a little more than Kakos at the moment.

"Time to put an end to this," Kakos sneered, lowering himself onto one knee.

This was it; this attack had to hit if he wanted to win. His orders didn't matter to him anymore, all he wanted to do now was defeat the guardian of the Master Emerald. Slamming his left palm onto the ground, the vulpine poured the last remnants of his Chaos energy into the ground and manipulated the rocks beneath him as his arm sunk into the ground as if it was made of water.

Knuckles cursed, barrel-rolling to the side just in time to avoid the giant rock arm that burst from the ground beneath him. Stray pebbles clobbered his form, but he ignored the minor jolts of pain and kept his focus on the main threat. Gathering half of his remaining energy into his palm, it was just enough to form a basic Thunder Arrow.

Avoiding the giant arm once again, the echidna leaped against the wall and planted his feet on it for a split second before taking off directly at Kakos, the Thunder Arrow still sizzling between his fingers.

The fox saw the attack coming and redirected the stone arm, sending it after the crimson warrior. Knuckles smirked as he spun around mid-air and threw the Thunder Arrow at the stone arm, shattering it into millions of pieces in a fiery explosion.

Not stopping there, the echidna kept on his course towards Kakos, who began to pull his arm from the ground. The guardian's eyes narrowed. _'If he pulls his arm out, my plan won't work!'_

A river of relief flooded into the warrior when he reached the vulpine just in time, and to Kakos' surprise, simply tapping him on his left shoulder and flying right past him. The echidna landed a few yards away from the fox, who remained in the same position, paralyzed with realization as a smoldering heat began to work its way down his shoulder and into the arm that was still submerged in the ground.

Everything became perfectly clear at that moment as the vulpine felt the Phoenix's fire radiating from his arm and melting the rock around it, creating a molten substance that held Kakos in place; his arm was completely stuck.

_Flashback_

_The fox quietly observed the charging Knuckles, his mind running through with his battle plan. 'He concentrated the heat of his cloak onto his fist. Which means, there has to be a spot with less fire now.' His eyes scanned over the echidna's form for a moment before he noticed that a part of the fire that surrounded him seemed much duller around his left shoulder. 'There!'_

_Knuckles' punch was overly simple and plain and Kakos had no trouble in dodging it, simply moving his upper body to the left and out of the way of the fiery fist. Eyes gleaming, he honed in on the weak spot in his fire armor and sent his rock-covered fist sailing at the echidna's shoulder._

_"Gotcha."_

_The dull spot of fire around Knuckles' shoulder exploded into a funnel of flames that snaked from his armor and slammed into Kakos' exposed left arm. Not even able to let out a startled cry, the fox was sent sailing back into the wall opposite of the one Knuckles hit, his extra weight from the rock armor making him tear through the stone and create a hole in the wall, in which he disappeared from sight._

_End Flashback_

"Now that I'm sure you won't move, I'll finish this with my new Raikou!" Knuckles hissed, extending his right arm out horizontally in front of him.

"Stop bluffing!" Kakos yelled back, panic in his voice. "You and I both know you don't have enough Chaos energy to pull that off!"

The Master Emerald guardian smirked. "What makes you think I'll use Chaos energy?"

The vulpine's eyes went wider. "What?"

It seemed to defy the laws of physics, but Kakos could feel all the heat in the room beginning to fade away and swarm over to the echidna as if he was some sort of heat sponge. Not only that, but the heat was beginning to take form around his arm in the form of crimson red energy sparks.

"When I used my elemental attack, it wasn't only to deflect your stone arrows," Knuckles explained, feeling victory closing in. "I heated up the room temperature with the fire of the Phoenix's attack. I convert Chaos energy into heat when I use my Raikou, but since I don't have anymore energy left, I'll just harness the heat created by the Phoenix."

Kakos' eyes were wide with horror, his mouth feeling completely dry. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Knuckles' moves in the fight had not been random at all, he had been setting everything up for this one attack. But it was impossible to harness heat for an attack!

"If we were in an open area, it wouldn't have worked." The guardian smirked, the Raikou beginning to grow larger by the second. "But this room was small enough for me to pull it off."

"It's impossible!" Kakos protested, trying to pull his arm out of the molten rock in which it was stuck, to no avail. "There's no way! Besides, the heat of the attack would burn your arm off!"

"When I awoke the Phoenix," Knuckles explained quietly, despite the loud cracks of thunder the Raikou was emitting, "Three abilities awoke with her: her released stage, her elemental energy, and her resistance to her own fire. As long as I use the flames of the Phoenix, I can't be burned."

There were no more words left to speak. In a bright flash of painfully bright red light, the Raikou swimming around Knuckles' right arm came to a completion, and he took off not a second later. The ferocious attack literally tore up the ground and melted it, carving the guardian's path clearly.

Kakos remained completely motionless, feeling his entire life flash before his eyes in a blink. It was then, with that sudden set of flashbacks, that he knew it was over. He was going to die. With Knuckles no more than ten feet from him, his lips arched into a small smile.

"You are his brother after all."

The Raikou hit its mark in a grand explosion of red and white, and as such, Knuckles chose to bestow it with an appropriate title.

"**Grand Raikou**!"

A dome of red energy erupted from the point of impact, filling the entire room up with fuchsia light. The entire tower shook ferociously as stone crumbled and burned away under the sheer power and heat of the echidna's attack. Kakos didn't even have time to scream as the attack burned every last part of his body into nothingness.

A few seconds past before the light of the attack cleared away and the victor of the battle came into clear view. Knuckles stood on the crumbling, literally boiling ground alone, the rock around him bright red from the heat of the Grand Raikou.

He took a step forward, knowing he didn't have so much as an ounce of Chaos energy left and tapping into the Phoenix's powers without waiting was impossible. So, in light of the victory of his battle and resolve, he fell face-first onto the ground, letting sweet and deserving rest take him.

_On the other side of the mirror, the Phoenix nodded her head in approval. "Well done, guardian."_


	69. Through the Mist

**Chapter 69 - Through the Mist**

Sonic and the others came to a sudden and abrupt halt when they felt the ground shaking beneath their feet. The blue hedgehog's eyes widened for a moment, feeling a strange burst within him. It was Knuckles, and judging by the feeling in his gut, he had won.

"Sonic, what is it?" Amy piped up.

The fifth incarnation simply shook his head after a momentary pause, his lip curving into a small smile. "Nothing."

Focusing back on the path ahead, the blue hedgehog's eyes moved to the door in front of them. He felt his heartbeat increase, knowing that Eclipse was most likely waiting for them there. The one who had caused it all. All their pain, all their sorrow. Shadow's brother, the second ultimate life form.

"Algos."

The sand hedgehog nodded curtly, slicing his hand through the air as if he was conducting an orchestra. At the will of its master, the mass of sand over his head lashed out and shattered the door into thousands of pieces. Taking advantage of the small distraction it must have caused, Sonic darted through the doorway, ready to shove a Shining Lance down Eclipse's throat.

He blinked, feeling a chill go up his spine at the sight before him. Backing up out of pure horror, the hedgehog's face became deathly pale. It was his greatest fear, it was...

"Water!"

As Algos, Rouge, Amy, Silver, and Tails entered the room cautiously, the psychic of the group almost fell off his feet when Sonic ran behind him in a blue blur and cowered there like a frightened child. The rest of the group surveyed the room carefully.

The small amount of ground they were standing on was one of two dry spots in the room, the other being an exact replica of the platform at the other end of the room before the door that lead higher up into the tower. The rest of the room was covered in water, and judging by how the lights above them shone on the body of liquid, it was most likely about ten feet deep.

Sonic shifted behind Silver, carefully peeking over his shoulder to look at the water as if it was some kind of horrible monstrosity. "Why? Why did it have to be a room filled with water?"

Rouge rolled her eyes, walking over to the hedgehog, grabbing his arm, and dragging him away from his protective hedgehog shield. "Stop acting like a baby, Sonic! Algos can get us over the water with his sand." Her eyes shifted to the second incarnation. "Right?"

Algos nodded, waving his hand through the air, once again commanding the sand to shift. In less than a second, the giant mass of earth had transformed into five separate sand platforms. He turned to Sonic. "I've condensed the sand, so don't worry about falling through."

Sonic eyes him suspiciously. "Are you sure? Because, like seriously, I totally can't swim!"

Then, not knowing what hit him, the blue speed demon was thrown onto one of the five sand platforms, courtesy of Rouge. The huntress ignored his child-like cries of "I don't wanna! I don't wanna!" and motioned for Amy, Silver, and Tails to take a transporter as well. The three heroes complied, and soon everyone but Algos and Rouge were on the sand platforms.

"I'll bring you over first," Algos said when Rouge gave him an inquisitive look.

Rouge nodded and hopped onto the last platform. Making sure that everyone was well balanced, Algos raised his hand and flicked his wrist forward. At the command of the sand hedgehog, the five masses of condensed sand began to float across the body of water.

There was a splash.

Algos' cerulean eyes widened when he saw a water spout shoot out of the miniature lake, right beneath Sonic's sand platform. The blue hedgehog's eyes were already red, ready to call upon the help of the Super form in a moment's notice. With a quick swipe of Algos' hand, the sand shifted sharply to the right, barely avoiding the water funnel.

The sand hedgehog decided to speed up the process and sent the five sand platforms sailing across the water, avoiding two more funnels that burst out of it. When the group reached the other side, everyone jumped off immediately and turned around, ready for battle.

Algos lifted a palm to stop them in their tracks. "Go on ahead, I'll take care of this."

There was a moment of silence, in which only the now churning water and shifting sand as it transformed back into a shape-less mass could be heard.

"Psh, as if! I'm not gonna just let everyone leave!"

Sonic's breath was trapped in his throat at the sound of the foreign voice. His keen eyes scanned the area for any sign of an enemy, but he found no one. Edging closer to the water before him, he stuck his head out and stared at his own reflection. His own blue fur. His own body structure. His own blue eyes...

_'Aw shit!'_

Before the supersonic hero could even think about backing away, the menace he had been searching for burst out of the water, hitting Sonic square in the chin with a powerful uppercut. Stumbling backwards, the hero saw stars for a minute and heard his allies shouting incoherent words.

Regaining his senses slightly, he focused his eyes on the same sea-blue hedgehog dashing towards him. Getting into a defensive stance, Sonic's eyes widened when a wall of sand shot in front of him, which was followed by the sound of a loud thump as the enemy crashed into it with his fist.

"Go, now!" Algos shouted, surrounding the blue hedgehog with his sand.

Sonic hesitated for a moment, but remembered what they came here for in the first place and took off, ripping the door open and running through it, closely followed by Amy, Rouge, Tails, and Silver.

Making sure his allies were safe, Algos redirected his attention on his new opponent, who was still completely startled at the mass of sound surrounding him. With a flick of his wrist, the sand grasped a hold of the hedgehog and lifted him into the air.

"Desert Cage!"

The cocoon of sand collapsed into itself with a crash, the sound of crushed bones and torn flesh ripping through the air. Algos' tense body relaxed for a moment as he opened his Desert Cage up to look upon the corpse of his enemy, only to find a dark spot in the sand.

"Water?"

There was a whoosh behind him.

The sand manipulator spun on his heels, only to get slammed by a gloved fist. Feeling the wind knocked out of his chest, Algos gasped for air before realizing he was above the water and about to fall into it. Hastily summoning a portion of his sand, he caught himself just in time, inches from the churning waves below.

Slowly, he stood to his feet, wiping the line of blood from his chin with the back of his hand, the rest of his sand gathering behind him.

"Wow, you're good," the mysterious hedgehog complemented, still standing on the small platform of rock. "I thought I had you with my Water Clone technique, but you proved me wrong big time."

Algos' eyes, though mostly impassive, narrowed slightly. "Who are you?"

The blue hedgehog pointed a finger to his chest. "Me? I'm Frost, who are you?"

"Algos, the second incarnation."

"You're an incarnation?" Frost mused, putting a contemplative finger to his chin. "Well, that would explain you controlling sand, since you have the Dragon in you. But man, Sarx is gonna be pissed off! I wasn't supposed to stop an incarnation, only the other guys."

"Tell me, Frost," Algos replied, "What are you trying to accomplish? Why are you only letting the incarnations through?"

A beat passed, then Frost shrugged. "Beats me, I don't know any of their plans."

"Who are they?"

The hedgehog blinked. "Hisa-Whoa! Almost spilled the beans there! Nice try though." Frost tapped his right foot on the ground. "Well, since I caught you, I might as well have fun. Sarx said not to kill any of the incarnations, but he didn't say anything about not beating them within an inch of death."

"I don't have time to play around with a child," Algos deadpanned, raising his left arm into the air, preparing to unleash his powerful sand attacks upon the water-user.

Frost grinned. "Aw, that's not nice! I think that remark just earned you a broken arm!"

The tapping of his foot ceased. Algos cursed when the water just in front of him burst up into a giant wall. Wasting no time, the sand hedgehog threw his arm forward, a long, snake-like mass of sand crashing through the wall of water and hitting the spot where Algos saw his opponent last.

Algos frowned when the wall of water collapsed and he saw that his attempted attack had completely missed his opponent, who had simply side-stepped to avoid it. Frost's cerulean eyes glanced towards the slithering entity of sand beside him and then towards its master.

"You missed."

The sand curved into a sickle-like shape and surrounded Frost before snapping into itself like a coiled trap. Cursing vehemently as he was lifted into the air, the water hedgehog summoned another burst of water from the large pool with a flick of his chin, since only his head was free from Algos' attack. Before the sand hedgehog could snap his fist shut to complete the attack, the funnel of water slammed into Algos' sand.

Almost instantly, the sand turned a few shades darker than before and Algos felt a strange strain on his arm. It was like the energy was being zapped right out him trying to control the sand, so he simply released his hold on it. The wet sand fell to the small concrete platform with a splat and Frost got up nonchalantly, wiping some of the wet chunks from his body.

"Even you have your limits, sand-man," Frost sneered. "You use your Chaos energy and infuse it with your sand to control it, but since it was too wet and therefore heavy, it was difficult for you to control."

Algos' eyes widened slightly, noticing that the entire pool of water below him was starting to churn and twist.

"I'm the worst possible opponent you could have gotten. With my water, I have the advantage over your sand."

The pool of water split completely in half. The half closest to Frost rose into the air and rushed towards the water hedgehog, surrounding him in a sloppy semi-circle while the other half headed directly for Algos.

With no other options but to defend, the sand-manipulator shifted his sand into a protective cocoon around him. A beat passed, then he felt the entire sand sphere rattle and cool off as the blast of water hit him. A drop of water hit his nose as he looked up, seeing that his sand sanctuary was beginning to leak.

It was no use, there was not way he could compress the sand tight enough to keep water from getting through, so with a flick of his wrist, he simply released his hold on all of his sand. Algos felt the air rush by his ears as he fell to the now empty pool below with the rest of his sand, some of it raining down upon his body and clinging to him almost everywhere.

He studied his new surroundings, noticing that the empty pool was about thirty feet long, twenty feet wide, and ten feet deep. Frost was still standing on the ledge above him, half of the water that was in the pool swirling around him protectively.

Frost raised his right arm high into the air, opening his palm so it was horizontal and flat.

"Aqua Dragon."


	70. Sand's Yin

**Chapter 70 - Sand's Yin**

The moment those two words left Frost's lips, the water swirling around him lashed around viciously before transforming into a giant, snake-like entity completely made of water. It had no eyes, no soul, and was only a technique, but Algos felt shivers go down his spine from seeing it rise before him nonetheless.

For a moment, neither technique nor master made any movement, but then the sea-colored hedgehog's upper lip twisted into a cocky sneer and he flicked his wrist. The water dragon responded immediately, reeling back before speeding towards Algos, who was still standing there helplessly, surrounded by his now useless sand.

He hated to unnecessarily expend Chaos energy, but at the moment he had no choice. Grasping control over a portion of the sand just large enough to perform the technique he had in mind, Algos waved his hands through the air as if he was conducting an orchestra, the sand swirling around him obediently.

"Desert Shield!"

The small portion of sand expanded before its master's will and formed a inward-curved wall in front of the blue-eyed hedgehog just as the Aqua Dragon technique slammed into it. Algos literally felt the floor shake viciously from the force of the attack, his fur getting wet from the sprays of water shedding off the dragon as it battled with his Desert Shield.

Knowing that Frost had put all of his water into the attack, Algos decided not to let an open opportunity go to waste and summoned another portion of the sand laying at his feet, his left arm straining, his muscles curling under his skin as he commanded the sand to move.

With a final push of energy, Algos sent the sand flying at Frost. The water-user saw the overly simplistic attack coming from a mile away and bent his knees, preparing to leap into the air to avoid it.

A glint flew across Algos' eyes.

The previously useless sand that was laying at Frost's feet from when Algos had used his first attack suddenly sprang to life and coiled tightly around his legs. Frost gasped out of shock before a look of pain overtook his features. The pressure on his legs was powerful, but he knew that if he hadn't of poured his water into the sand first, Algos could have crushed them into dust.

Algos snapped his open palm into a fist. "Desert Cage!"

The sand coiled around Frost's legs collapsed into itself, twisting and breaking the hedgehog's legs.

Then, Frost burst into a mass of water that fell to the floor with a loud splash.

_'What? Another clone? But when did he-'_

_Flashback_

_"I don't have time to play around with a child," Algos deadpanned, raising his left arm into the air, preparing to unleash his powerful sand attacks upon the water-user._

_Frost grinned. "Aw, that's not nice! I think that remark just earned you a broken arm!"_

_The tapping of his foot ceased. Algos cursed when the water just in front of him burst up into a giant wall. Wasting no time, the sand hedgehog threw his arm forward, a long, snake-like mass of sand crashing through the wall of water and hitting the spot where Algos saw his opponent last._

_Algos frowned when the wall of water collapsed and he saw that his attempted attack had completely missed his opponent, who had simply side-stepped to avoid it. Frost's cerulean eyes glanced towards the slithering entity of sand beside him and then towards its master._

_"You missed."_

_End Flashback_

Managing to turn his head to the side despite the Aqua Dragon still raging furiously against his Sand Shield, Algos' eyes widened in horror as he saw Frost running towards him full-sprint. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. If he focused his attention on blocking Frost, the Aqua Dragon would hit him, but if he simply let the blue hedgehog hit him...

The choice the sand hedgehog had to make became obviously clear when Frost shouted his next set of words.

"Water Razor!"

Some of the water that was still mixed with Algos' sand separated and swirled around the hedgehog's arm before it formed into a jagged, spear-like entity around it. The maniacal blue hedgehog lifted his arm as he prepared what would be the fatal and battle-ending blow to Algos.

With no other options left, the sand-manipulator cursed and let the Sand Shield collapse. Frost's water dragon burst through instantly and crashed into the tiny-by-comparison hedgehog, lifting him up and sending him high into the air, slamming him into the ceiling of the room.

Frost stopped in his tracks, observing with obvious amusement as the Aqua Dragon crumbled away and rained down onto him in a flush of sprinkles, along with the limp body of his enemy. With a loud thud, Algos hit the ground at the water hedgehog's feet, quiet and still.

Frost smirked, letting the Water Razor swirling around his arm disappear into another small downpour of water that splashed to the ground, forming a shallow lagoon of sand and water at his feet.

"I hope you're not dead. It would be a pain in the ass to track down the new incarnation," Frost taunted.

Something crumbled. Frost's curiosity heightened at the sound, and doubled when it happened again. Looking down at the fallen body of his enemy, his jaw slacked in shock to see Algos actually turning into sand and pouring onto the ground.

_'He made a clone out of sand? That copycat motherfu--!'_

"Behind you," a voice whispered.

Algos had the courtesy to allow Frost to turn around before the Sand Demon he was standing beside reeled back its massive fist and slammed it into Frost's chest, sending him flying backwards at break-neck speeds. In an explosion of dust and concrete, he hit the wall on the far side of the room with a thunderous crash.

Using the momentary break in the fight, Algos used the opportunity and raised another hulking Sand Demon from the unused, wet sand around him. The monster heaved its massive feet over to its master before coming to a stop.

"When did you make that clone?" Frost's hoarse voice coughed from the hole he was buried in.

"At the same time you made yours," Algos replied simply, watching the bloody blue hedgehog crawl out of the hole and warily stand on his feet.

The sea-colored hedgehog laughed, his chuckle brittle. "And I guess you never used that technique before this fight, right?"

"I got the idea from you, when you first used that water clone trick of yours," Algos replied.

_Flashback_

_Making sure his allies were safe, Algos redirected his attention on his new opponent, who was still completely startled at the mass of sound surrounding him. With a flick of his wrist, the sand grasped a hold of the hedgehog and lifted him into the air._

_"Desert Cage!"_

_The cocoon of sand collapsed into itself with a crash, the sound of crushed bones and torn flesh ripping through the air. Algos' tense body relaxed for a moment as he opened his Desert Cage up to look upon the corpse of his enemy, only to find a dark spot in the sand._

_"Water?"_

_There was a whoosh behind him._

_The sand manipulator spun on his heels, only to get slammed by a gloved fist. Feeling the wind knocked out of his chest, Algos gasped for air before realizing he was above the water and about to fall into it. Hastily summoning a portion of his sand, he caught himself just in time, inches from the churning waves below._

_Slowly, he stood to his feet, wiping the line of blood from his chin with the back of his hand, the rest of his sand gathering behind him._

_End Flashback_

"So you created a new trick, just like that?" Frost asked with mild curiosity.

"It wasn't hard."

"Then you should have no trouble dodging the other clone I created when you lost sight of me."

The sand hedgehog's eyes doubled in size. _'What?'_

Algos, along with his two mindless Sand Demons, turned around to see a carbon copy of Frost charging at them full speed, his fist raised menacingly to deliver a deadly and precise strike. Acting fast, the sand-manipulator silently ordered his two minions to stand guard in front of him.

The two sand monsters obeyed, forming a protective wall in front of Algos as the Frost clone continued its raging approach. When he was no more than ten feet away, both Sand Demons raised their massive fists and swung down, slamming the clone into the ground.

A beat.

The downed water clone ruptured and burst apart like a balloon, sending a shock wave of air and water coursing through the area, completely decimating the Sand Demons and knocking Algos off his feet.

Knowing that his opponenent would not let the opportunity go to waste, the sand hedgehog sprung back onto his feet and faced Frost, who had his arm raised vertically and palm flattened out once again.

_'I know that stance!'_

"How did you like that one? It's my Suicide Clone technique. I fill the clone up with as much Chaos energy pressure as possible and on my command..." he closed his fist and opened it, simulating an explosion. "Pop goes the weasel!"

"That's nothing I can't handle," Algos replied almost instantly, determined not to let Frost get into his head.

The blue hedgehog smirked. "Then handle this!"

Algos froze.

"Aqua Dragon!"

The water pooled around Algos' feet raised into the air in a twisting dance of fury, forming into the familiar shape of a dragon. Cursing, the sand hedgehog bent his knees forward before leaping onto the ledge opposite of the one he had stood on when he entered the room.

The giant water twister of the dragon reeled back its massive head and charged straight for Algos, who stood there helplessly, feeling his heart beat quicken at the impending danger. Hastily snapping back into reality and summoning all of the sand at the bottom of the now empty pool, the sand hedgehog formed a protective wall around him just moments before the gigantic beast crashed into it.

Algos felt the ground shake as the Aqua Dragon once again battled with his Sand Shield. He knew he was on the losing end of the battle. Most of his Chaos energy had already been used up moving around the wet sand, and now Frost was just sucking him dry.

Closing his eyes, the sand hedgehog took a deep breath before reopening them.

Instead of pupils, there were now slits.

_Algos stood in the dark, mysterious void of his mind alone, dwarfed by the giant glass mirror that was in front of him. There was already a small scuff in it, but Algos knew that he had yet to unlock the true first form granted by the Dragon._

_Slitted, serpentine blue eyes shone through the darkness on the other side of the mirror. Vaguely, the sand hedgehog could see the rough outline of the massive, winged beast. It was truly an amazing sight to behold, and even more amazing to imagine that a creature like that was inside of him._

_"I'm fed up with this clown," the massive beast hissed from behind the barrier. "Let's show him what a real Dragon can do!"_

_Algos nodded slightly, careful to show as much respect as possible. In his short encounters with the other inhabitant of his mind and body, he learned not to antagonize the Dragon. The beast had an extremely short temper._

_A giant crack glided across the mirror, allowing the sand-brown energy of the Dragon to leak through the barrier and onto Algos. It felt like he was being covered in a protective blanket, safe and sound from the dangers of the outside world. _

_He felt his spirits lift, his morale increase. With the strength of the Dragon at his side, he knew that he still had a chance to win this battle._

_"Rip him apart, Algos!"_

_A sinister smirk danced across the hedgehog's lips._


	71. Wrath of the Dragon

**Chapter 71 - Wrath of the Dragon**

The entire room lit up, an explosion of massive proportions rocking the air like an earthquake. Waves of brown energy whipped and lashed from behind the Desert Shield, destroying both Algos' protective technique and the Aqua Dragon Frost had sickened on him.

Frost threw an arm over his face, a feeble attempt to shield his vision from the bright and harmful light Algos' energy was giving off in abundance. Feeling a shock wave course through the entire room, Frost peeked out from the barrier of his fingers.

The moment he did, he really wished that he hadn't.

Algos stood on the other pedestal in the room, his form crouched, a protective blanket of sand-brown energy draped over his body, covering him like a bold outline. The energy swirled and shifted around violently before the entity surrounding Algos' head morphed into what looked like a dragon's head. Next, the energy surrounding his backside twisted and turned until a long, bulky tail made completely out of energy swished around behind his body.

The sand hedgehog grunted slightly when two giant energy wings sprouted out of his cloaked back. Finally, completing the transformation, a single energy horn grew out of the Dragon cloak where Algos' forehead was. The second incarnation shifted his slitted blue eyes, staring straight at Frost.

The water user felt a cold shiver go down his spine at the sight of those haunting blue eyes. Before Frost could so much as blink, Algos' energy wings spread to the side before they lifted him into the air with a mighty flap. Hanging in the air for less than a second, the sand user's body cut through the air like an arrow, heading straight for his opponent.

"Crap!" Frost sputtered out, hastily summoning all of his water back to his side, even removing the half he had used to incapacitate Algos' sand to bring to his protection.

Wasting no time, Frost reeled his arm back and shot it forward, a giant funnel of water mimicking his movements and heading for his airborne enemy. Algos reeled his right hand back, which was now equipped with long, elegant energy claws, and slashed through the energy-infused water with ease, creating a burst of water similar to an explosion.

Frost backed up slightly. That attack didn't even faze him, let alone slow him down! Truly, he had underestimated the powers of an incarnation. Clearing away his self-doubt with a shake of his head, the water hedgehog bent down on one knee and positioned a flat palm over the pool of water at his side. With a jerk, he raised his arm and body, a water-like clone of himself rising out of the liquid.

As soon as the clone separated from the water, it took on all of Frost's natural features and colors. Grabbing onto the arm of his clone, Frost pivoted on his right heel, spun around once, and sent it flying towards Algos.

The slit-eyed hedgehog's lip curved into a small smirk. He knew exactly what that was. A suicide clone, set to detonate on impact. But, lucky for him, Frost had completely forgotten about the sand he still had at his disposal. With the Dragon form fully active, he no longer needed Chaos energy to control the sand, since the power of the Dragon is what gave him that ability in the first place.

Raising his arms to his sides and swiping them up, a giant wall of sand rose from the ground and stood in front of the still flying Algos. The incoming suicide clone hit the sand barrier, exploding in a ferocious display of energy and water, putting a hole the size of a car into the wall.

Taking advantage of the opening created, Algos flew straight through the hole, the sand wall behind him breaking up and turning back into a formless mass, shooting after its master. Frost felt a cold shiver run down his spine at the sight of his enemy.

Algos, powered by the abilities and form of the Dragon, was heading straight for him, a massive sea of sand hot on his heels. If the sight wasn't scary enough, the fact that he had used half of his energy already more than sufficed to stir up fear in the hedgehog.

_'There's no other option, I have to use __**that**__ attack!' _Frost spat mentally, bending his knees slightly, the water beginning to swirl around him like a spinning disk.

Algos' eyes narrowed, knowing fully that his opponent wasn't in that stance just for show. He was planning some sort of attack. Reeling his arm back and then sending it flying in front of him, a rope of sand shot out in front of him, separating from the giant mass trailing him.

Frost raised his head slightly to see the attack coming. To Algos' shock, the water-user simply stood there as the sand whipped around him and tightened like a giant anaconda. Hovering in the air a few yards away, his energy wings flapping periodically to keep him afloat, Algos raised his arm in front of his face and snapped his hand into a fist.

The sand around Frost seemed to respond to the command for a moment, but then it loosened up and fell off of the water hedgehog, landing at his feet in a sloppy semicircle. Algos' eyes widened, realizing what had just happened.

The abundant amount of water that had been floating around Frost had disappeared.

Knowing that it must have had something to do with how his enemy avoided the attack, the sand hedgehog's eyes narrowed, then widened again. Looking closely at Frost for the first time in a couple of seconds, he saw just what had happened.

Every muscle on Frost's body had practically quadrupled in size, making the water hedgehog look like a steroid-abusing professional wrestler.

_'Did he somehow absorb the water into his body? No...that would mean he's risking water intoxication unless...he's immune to it.'_

Frost cracked his fists, smirking. "You didn't even see me muscle my way out of your sand rope, did you?"

"That's impossible," Algos replied, slightly unnerved at the possibility. "I didn't take my eyes off you."

He raised a finger. "But you did. When you raised your arm to command your sand, you blocked off your vision. All it took was a little flex of the arms from me to break it. By the time your hand closed, the sand was already falling off my body."

"You don't have enough Chaos energy to do that," Algos reasoned, his tone heightening slightly.

"Who said anything about Chaos energy? I absorbed my water to increase my muscle size, not my Chaos energy level. This is raw, physical strength."

Then, with a bend of the knees, Frost took off, slashing through the air straight for Algos.

'_He's become faster!'_

With so little space between the two, Algos had no way to dodge the frontal attack and was hit square in the jaw by Frost's fist. Blood seeped out of the hedgehog's nose and mouth as his eyes rolled in the back of his head, a choked cry escaping his throat. It felt as if someone had literally smashed him in the face with a spiked brick.

Not even beginning to recover from the blow, Algos felt another tsunami of pain rip through his body, this time originating from his stomach. Shakily, he managed to raise his head and clear his vision to see Frost's foot buried into his stomach.

Another sea of crimson left his mouth, mixed with saliva. Idly taking his sweet time, Frost grabbed onto Algos' shoulder to keep from falling and delivered a thunderous uppercut onto the sand hedgehog's jaw.

His world rattled, the second incarnation felt the powers of the Dragon beginning to drain away.

"**Do not waver, Algos!**" the Dragon hissed from the other side of the mirror. "**You have the power to overcome this!**"

Algos sent a shockwave of energy from his sand-brown Dragon-armor, knocking Frost away. The water hedgehog landed in the empty pool below, his eyes narrowed as he raised his head to look at Algos.

Above, Algos sighed, feeling exhaustion spreading throughout his body. Maintaining the first released stage took a heavy physical toll on his body, and he had already used a lot of Chaos energy prior to transforming.

There was only one thing left now that could win this fight for him.

Only, the problem was: How would he hit Frost with the attack?

As if on cue, Algos heard a violent burst of coughs from below. Peering down, he saw Frost on one knee, his right hand cupped below his mouth as a trickle of blood seeped onto it.

So, Algos had been right in assuming that water intoxication would eventually come into play.

"Bulking up like that is a double-edged sword," Algos called, slowly lowering in altitude with a few gentle flaps of his energy-wings until he also landed on the ground.

Another series of coughs answered his question. So, Algos continued with his analysis. "Our battle was far from over, and I can't see a reason for you to use such a dangerous technique. Why did you do it?"

"It was either that," Frost answered back weakly. "Or be crushed by your sand. I had no choice in the matter."

_Flashback_

_Frost raised his head slightly to see the attack coming. To Algos' shock, the water-user simply stood there as the sand whipped around him and tightened like a giant anaconda. Hovering in the air a few yards away, his energy wings flapping periodically to keep him afloat, Algos raised his arm in front of his face and snapped his hand into a fist._

_The sand around Frost seemed to respond to the command for a moment, but then it loosened up and fell off of the water hedgehog, landing at his feet in a sloppy semicircle. Algos' eyes widened, realizing what had just happened._

_End Flashback_

Shakily, Frost stood up, his form slouched. The muscles littering his body seemed to be pulsing with each breath he took. "I was hoping I'd be able to finish you off quickly and avoid this, but now it's too late." His head snapped up, eyes red with blood. "**But I won't die alone! I'll take you with me!**"

Stepping back, Algos' eyes widened, when Frost's muscle expanded even more, showing no signs of stopping. Feeling a cold chill run down his spine, the sand hedgehog lifted into the air again and flew up until he was a safe distance away from Frost.

The water hedgehog continued expanding and growing, looking more and more like an over-inflated balloon than anything else. He was already covering half of the empty pool with his body, and was showing no signs of slowing down.

'_He's turned himself into a bomb!' _Algos thought wildly. _'If he expands any further and blows, he'll take the entire tower with him! I have to stop him before he gets any bigger!'_

Closing his eyes, Algos let all the distractions of the world wash away. He became one with the Dragon, intertwined through ancient ties only they understood. With a flick of his finger, all the sand in the room started to rise from the ground and flow towards Algos, surrounding him in a disk that gradually started to spin.

"**It's too late to try anything!**" Frost yelled manically. "**I'll take you and everyone in this damn tower with me**!"

Algos' slitted blue eyes snapped open. The sand continued to spin until it was nothing more than a sea of light-brown. Raising his right arm, the Dragon-armor surrounding Algos began to drain away and mix into sand spinning around him. Lowering his arm after a few moments, the energy-shield that surrounded him now was barely visible, only a shade browner than the natural colors surrounding the hedgehog.

Reeling his arm back, Algos sent the sand around him into a twisting frenzy. With a thunderous battle cry, the second incarnation threw his entire body forward, the sand infused with elemental energy around him transforming at the will of its master.

"**Sands of Time: Desert Dragon**!"

The sand, now pulsing with a radiating brown energy, swirled into a giant set of wings. Soon after, two clawed arms erupted from the mass of sand, followed by a tail, a set of bulky legs, and at last a snapping, horned head with glowing blue eyes. Algos' elemental attack was at full-power, a giant dragon composed of a mixture of sand and elemental energy.

Rearing back, the sand dragon released a mighty roar that shook the entire tower itself. Then it shot forward, heading straight for the empty pool below and along with it, Frost.

The water hedgehog's bloodshot eyes widened at the sight of the monstrous attack and he barely had time to scream before the dragon crashed into him, prematurely detonating his body.

Pure, built-up pressure shot from the epicenter of the explosion and although more than half of it was contained by Algos' dragon attack, it still managed to blast its way through and tear through concrete and steel.

With the rest of the Dragon's energy finally fading away, Algos had no means to protect himself and was thrown back like a lifeless rag doll, hitting one of the walls of the room in a thunderous collision.

Darkness surrounded him, beckoning him into unconsciousness. The last thing that he remembered before passing out was the feeling of his lips twitching into a smirk, a smirk born from the knowledge of victory.

Author's Notes: Fanfiction Contest alert! Head over to the forum to check out the rules and see if you'd be interested in submitting any of your work.


	72. The Destined Meeting

**Chapter 72 – The Destined Meeting**

He felt the entire tower shake, rattling loose some stray bits and pieces of granite from the walls and ceiling. Leaning back against the cold, hard stone chair, he stretched out his legs and crossed his right ankle over his left one. Gently undoing the first three buttons of his midnight-black robe, he rustled his arms out of the sleeves of the robe and stuck them through the created opening, resting his left arm against the side of his robe while he simply folded his right arm diagonally across his stomach.

Eclipse shifted his gaze slightly, so that the door about fifty feet from him came into the center of his vision. Sonic and the rest of the incarnations should be arriving any moment. A gentle lapse of reminiscence overtook him. Truly, the little blue hedgehog had grown since their first meeting over two years ago.

_Flashback_

"_Move aside," the only-speaking cloaked figure of the duo commanded harshly, waving his arm as to put emphasis in his words._

_Knuckles' eyes instantly narrowed. "When hell freezes over."_

_An amused, shark-like grin shone from the darkness of the figure's hood at the echidna's cold response, but he said nothing in return._

_Sonic momentarily eyed both of the figures. The taller one seemed cocky but strong, nothing he hadn't already encountered. He had a rough, almost macho-like voice. Like he said, nothing he hadn't encountered before._

_It was the second, silent figure that unnerved him. He had not uttered a single word since the encounter. It was as if he as carefully calculating something._

"_We do not wish to fight..."_

_Grass green hues widened at the first vocal lines to come from the shorter figure. His voice, just like his demeanor, was calm, deep and nonchalant. He had never encountered someone like this before. He wasn't like Mephiles, or any other enemy he had ever faced._

_But, there was a deep flaming power radiating off the figure that he didn't even try to cover up. Sonic gulped, perspiration beginning to collect over his eye ridges._

"_...But if you do not move aside, we will be forced to."_

_Knuckles' eyes instantly narrowed at the rather mild threat. "What makes you think you can take us on so easily?"_

_End Flashback_

In a strange, almost brotherly way, the white and silver killer was proud of Sonic, of all of them, for coming this far. Three years ago, they were "saving the world" from space-aliens and Robotnik, but the group did not truly begin to shine until they were confronted with the most difficult enemy they had ever faced: one of their former allies.

Yes, his little brother.

Shadow.

Eclipse's only goal, his only ambition, his only reason for living.

The ultimate life form closed his eyes, a small smile tugging its way onto his lips. After Shadow had learned the truth about the Ark from Mephiles, their first encounter two years ago was chaotic, but went exactly the way Eclipse wanted it to.

_Flashback_

_Kakos' mouth twisted into a toothy smirk, his eyes scanning over the ultimate life form and then over his partner. "Hm, he looks a lot like you, who is he?"_

_After a small pause, the hedgehog answered nonchalantly. "My brother."_

_Sonic heard Knuckles gasp from his left. Apparently, the echidna had not figured out the identity of the second intruder until now._

"_Eclipse," Shadow hissed hatefully again, pure anger and blood lust in his voice. "Today you'll pay for killing everyone aboard the Ark, for killing my family."_

_Eclipse's look remained stoic as Shadow's quills began to waver, small crackling sounds emitting from his right hand._

"_Like you said brother..." the ultimate life form muttered, his glare never weakening, an audio clip of his memory playing within his head._

"_So, foolish brother, hate me, envision yourself standing above my fallen body, and once you have awakened, come before me."_

"_...I've hated you, dreamed of your death..."_

_The crackling sounds loudened considerably, Shadow's face beginning to illuminate under the glow of an eerie and bright yellow._

"_...And now, I've come before you..."_

_Eclipse's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "..."_

_A loud whoosh echoed through the air, signaling to everyone in the area that Shadow had completed his attack._

"_...__**to kill you**__!"_

_With lighting fast speed, Shadow's arm carrying the deadly attack was flung behind him as his knees bent, and he took off towards Eclipse. His thrusting arm fell over the ground, crashing into it and sending up grass and rocks on either side of his red and black arm highlighted in yellow._

_The ultimate life form's jet shoes flared and burned under him, mirroring his dark and ferocious charge almost perfectly._

_His dark mind twisted with the thought of finally killing the real culprit behind the Ark massacre. It hadn't been G.U.N., it hadn't been Black Doom, it had been his own brother. The one he once looked up to...the one he once loved. But now the only connection that held the two together was made of hate._

_Mephiles was right all along with the vision he had shown Shadow. For a few days a part in the back of his mind had doubted the reality but now that his brother stood here before him, all uncertainty was washed away under a river of overflowing hatred._

_His charge, his stare or his intentions never wavered as the Chaos Spear created a long line of unearthed grass and dirt, clearly marking the trail towards his brother._

_Eclipse remained totally impassive; he had not even twitched or flinched yet. His younger brother's threats of his sudden charge did not make the white hedgehog even blink. Perhaps he was used to death-threats, or perhaps he knew that Shadow didn't stand a chance._

"_**Die**__!" Shadow bellowed hatefully, lifting his arm off the ground. With another roar of anger and pain, the dark hedgehog thrust his Chaos Spear forward, sending the rest of his body into attack to fully utilize its deadly potential._

_A thunderous explosion shook the very air itself as the impact summoned a blanket of debris and smoke over the two siblings, completely covering them both._

"_Shadow!" Sonic called out frantically, charging forward along side Knuckles towards the explosion, fearing for their dark comrade's safety._

_They both skidded to a halt when Kakos jumped in front of them. "Now, now," he taunted with a shark-like grin, his emerald eyes flaring in sick amusement. "Let's see how this plays out."_

_The cloud of debris cleared with a strong gust of wind to reveal a picture that caused Knuckles and Sonic's mouths to drop. Kakos simply smirked as he observed from the corner of his eye, making sure the two heroes would comply to his wishes._

_In Eclipse's left hand was Shadow's wrist. Both hedgehogs were still on their feet, with the white hedgehog having only moved his left arm out to grab his younger brother's wrist. Even though Shadow was way out of his league, the attack still would have done unnecessary damage had it hit its mark._

_His look was as nonchalant as ever as he regarded his brother almost lazily with cold, silver eyes._

_Shadow, on the other hand, gave his brother the darkest and most furious glare he could muster, the Chaos Spear still crackling in his entrapped hand for a few seconds before it died away with one last sizzle._

_Sharply, Eclipse turned to Kakos, ignoring his younger brother that was caught in his grip completely. "Get the emerald."_

_Shadow's glare increased ten-fold at Eclipse's ignoring attitude towards him. He wasn't even taking him seriously._

"_Don't turn your back on me!" Shadow spat, raising his free arm, clenching his gloved hand into a fist._

_Eclipse didn't even turn to acknowledge the obsidian hedgehog before his next, gruesome, action. "You're a nuisance."_

_End Flashback_

The beating he had inflicted upon his little brother may have seemed cruel at the time, but in all sense of things, it was necessary. Besides, it's not like he was being serious. If he had been, Shadow wouldn't be on a warpath right now trying to find him.

Eclipse's brief train of thought was interrupted when the door leading into his room burst open, swinging back and slamming into the wall so hard it nearly tore of its hinges. Opening his eyes, the Ark slayer calmly regarded the group before him.

There was Sonic, the pink female named Amy, Rouge, and the white hedgehog whom he knew to be Silver of the future.

Eclipse's gaze was as impassive as ever as he remained completely still, silently regarding the group and carefully watching them in case they took any hostile actions.

But, to his surprise, Eclipse noticed that they had just now seen him sitting in the center of the room in his throne-like stone chair atop an elevated, round pedestal. The first thing his keen eyes spotted was the way Sonic's eyes widened when their gazes met, then narrowed the next second. The rest of the group simply gaped on, only the blue speed demon was making any attempt at looking intimidating.

"Eclipse!" Sonic snarled, his fists instinctively tightening at his sides.

The white hedgehog's features remained completely blank. "I sense certain hostility from you, Sonic. Aren't you glad to see me, since I'm the one that can link you to Shadow?"

"Go to hell, you murderous bastard!" the blue hedgehog barked, taking a step forward, a gesture that would have intimidated anyone else. Rouge quickly shot forward and grabbed the blue hedgehog's hand before he could go any further.

Eclipse's eyes slid shut again as he raised his head slightly, as if taking in a fresh and delicious scent. "In due time, Sonic."

The speed demon relaxed slightly, a wave of shock washing over his face as Rouge let go of him. "Wait – what?"

Ignoring the hero's inquisition completely, Eclipse opened his eyes instead and turned his head slightly, meeting the scared yet determined gaze of Rouge. "What's wrong, aren't you going to charge at me again?"

The bat's eyes narrowed. "Taunting me isn't going to work this time."

"As I recall, I have never taunted you. You simply decided to rush blindly at me," the ultimate life form said, his gaze and poise as calm as ever.

"Enough of your bullshit!" Sonic screamed, the Chimera already started to stir within him. "Before I kick your sorry ass, I want answers! Why did you kill everyone aboard the Ark fifty years ago?"

What could have been considered a twitch of a smile flashed across Eclipse's face, only to disappear the next instant. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because it looks like I'm the one that's gonna take you down, so the least I could do for Shadow is give him some answers!"

"You're so naïve," Eclipse drawled impassively. "Shadow has devoted his life to killing me... and you wish to take that away from him? What do you think he'll do to you once he finds out that it was you who killed me?"

The white hedgehog's logic hit the bull's-eye. Shadow had been training for nothing else for the past two years; Eclipse's death was his whole reason for living. The dark hedgehog would surely go on a rampage and demand Sonic's head on a stick if he killed Eclipse.

"So, Sonic, do you still wish to kill me, knowing that Shadow will want to kill you in return?" the Ark slayer asked with a bored stare.

Sonic's eyes became downcast, taking a sudden interest in the floor. "He already wants to kill me," he mumbled, his voice barely audible.

"I see," Eclipse deadpanned, his haunting silver eyes focused entirely on the blue hedgehog. "You've met him again, after your fight at the Lake of Tears, correct?"

"How do you-" Sonic gasped.

"I have eyes and ears everywhere; your fight with him two years ago is no secret."

"Then how could you just stand there and watch while your own brother drowned himself in darkness for your sake, huh? What the hell kind of older brother are you?" Sonic yelled, tears beginning to brim at the corners of his eyes.

"I never encouraged his decision, nor did I suggest it," Eclipse drawled. "It was his choice, and I had no right to deny him."

"You should've stopped him... could've stopped him," Sonic whispered, lowering his head. A few drops of water hit the dirty ground beneath him. He was crying.

"Sonic…" Amy gasped.

The blue hedgehog's head snapped up, his eyes wide, furious, and filled with tears. "**Brothers are supposed to look out for each other! Why didn't you stop him? Why**?"

There was a slight, but nonetheless tense pause.

"It seemed, at the time, that you were dead-set on stopping him from leaving," Eclipse replied, his voice as calm as ever. "But since you failed, you wished for me to step in and resume my role as his older brother? It was neither my duty nor my wish."

"You…you heartless monster," Sonic gasped, the tears continuing to roll down his cheeks in a sloppy but steady rhythm.

"My brother has chosen his path, and now he must accept the consequences."


	73. Boiling Point

**Chapter 73 – Boiling Point**

"Consequences?" Rouge gasped, slightly taken aback by the white hedgehog's choice of words. "What consequences?"

Eclipse focused his soulless silver eyes on the bat, the result being a shiver creeping up her spine in a sudden jolt of fear. "Betraying the free world and GUN will not go unpunished; you should know that better than anyone." He lifted his right arm, curling his hand into a loose fist and gently set his chin upon it. "Tell me, if you do manage to bring him back, what do you think GUN will want to do with him?"

Amy gasped. "No – they wouldn't!"

"Of course they would, little girl," the ultimate life form replied. "Becoming a rogue agent is treason and punishable by death. So you see, in a sense, there's no hope left for my brother."

Sonic's teary eyes widened for one moment, but instantly narrowed the next. "Shut up, there's always hope!"

"You're such a child," Eclipse deadpanned. "The world doesn't care about your disillusioned sense of hope and peace. When someone makes a choice, they must be prepared to accept the full consequences of their actions. No one is an exception to that rule."

"That's why you have people to look out for you!" Sonic yelled back. "Alone, the world is cold and ruthless, but with friends, there's always a sense of hope! That's what I'm going to teach Shadow, with fists if necessary!"

"You're too weak," Eclipse replied sharply. "If what you say is true, then why didn't you convince him to return when you met him again? It was because you lack the physical and mental strength to overcome my brother. How much better do you think you will fare against me?"

Sonic had to stop himself from spitting out a counter created simply by hurt pride and rash thoughts. Deny it as he might, Eclipse was right. When they met Shadow again, he was no match for the dark hedgehog. Though, of course, he had just used the Chimera form fully for the first time and fought Mephiles, so there was really no way of telling how far above him Shadow really was.

But, one thing was for sure…

_Flashback_

_Shadow's gaze had not changed, neither did his posture. His eyes of hell fire were still as cold as ice and his arms remained at his sides, his fingers curled lazily._

_Then, without thinking or formulating any sort of plan, Sonic charged at his black and red counterpart, his green eyes wide and bathed in furious anger. The rapid tap, tap, tap of shoes hitting the ground rang through the air like the repeating bells of a church, catching everyone's attention._

"_Sonic, wait!" Amy shrieked, her eyes wide, one hand extended as if trying to feebly pull the blue hedgehog away from his attack._

_Rouge gulped slowly, knowing full-well the extent of Shadow's new powers, or not knowing them at all. She didn't know which frightened her more. The ultimate life form had displayed incredible amounts of strength and power, yet every time he did he seemed so nonchalant._

_Was he even trying?_

_In either case, the speed demon was going to need some help if he planed to take on the obsidian traitor. Making up her mind quickly, the huntress also charged forward._

_Amy gasped slightly at the sight of her friend charging into battle with Sonic before her eyes narrowed. There was no way she could fight Shadow. He had displayed incredible amounts of power, how could a little, weak girl like herself be any help?_

_She sank to her knees, watching her love and her friend charge forward._

_Sonic offhandedly noticed Rouge joining him but he did not protest or tell her to go back. He couldn't. Who was he to deny her the right to help bring Shadow back home, to pull him out of the lake of darkness in which he was so deeply submerged?_

_There was a loud whoosh as the sapphire hedgehog gathered a monstrous-sized Shining Lance within his right hand, dragging the attack behind him and upturning stone and slab with the sheer force of the energy spawned into it._

"_**I'm bringing you back Shadow**__!" Sonic roared, the Chimera within him stirring by his host's sudden boiling anger._

_End Flashback_

There was no way in hell he was giving up!

"You're right," Sonic murmured suddenly, his wet eyes flashing with anger and shattered pride. "But I don't need a sharp mind or a powerful technique to save Shadow…!"

Eclipse's eyes narrowed slightly.

"All I need is willpower!"

The ultimate life form seemed to contemplate the speed demon's words for a minute, his eyes sharp and his features inquisitive, but it only lasted for so long. Eclipse's blank mask was in place again.

"Willpower will only get you so far. How will you use your willpower to defeat my brother when he's run you through with a Chaos Spear? How will you teach him about the error of his ways when he's breaking your arms and legs?" He closed his eyes, leaning back against the cold, stone chair. "How will you save him when he's no longer in your reach?"

Sonic smiled. "That's impossible."

Eclipse opened his eyes. "And why is that?"

"Because I'll never stop reaching."

There was a brief flutter of silence, a pause in the emotional conversation between the saver of humanity and the bringer of death. It was peaceful, not dreary, but genuinely soft and warm.

Then, Eclipse smiled.

It wasn't a grin or a smirk, it wasn't huge or toothy. It was only a simple smile, a soft upward curve at the corners of the white hedgehog's lips.

But even though it was mundane and what some would consider small, Sonic had to stop himself from pinching his cheek. Eclipse, the emotionless bastard of a brother, had actually smiled!

It disappeared just as fast as it had come. Apparently, it was a slip, an error that Eclipse allowed himself to make.

"That's the kind of answer I would expect from you," Eclipse deadpanned, his emotions once again gone. "Thoughtless and idiotic. I can see why Shadow decided to abandon you."

The intended agitation gave Eclipse his desired reaction.

Faster than anyone could blink, Sonic disappeared in a blur of blue, flashing into sight before Eclipse with his arm drawn back, the muscles beneath his skin and fur curling in anticipation.

He swung.

The sound of cracking rock ripped through the air as a cluster of debris and dirt slashed through the air, blocking the rest of the group's vision from the scene.

"Sonic!" Amy yelled.

On cue, the blue hedgehog came flying out of the dirt cloud with his back to the group, harshly crashing into the rough granite of the ground and skidding a few feet before coming to a stop. Sonic didn't even flinch at the pain and was on his feet the next second, waiting for Eclipse to perform some sort of counter-attack.

Nothing came.

The hero's stance relaxed a little, and without turning, called out to one of his comrades. "Silver, get rid of that dirt cloud!"

The psychic hedgehog blinked, but quickly nodded at the order, his right arm drowning in a neon-green energy. With a simple flick of his wrist, the cloud of dirt and rubble took on the same color of his arm before stirring away into nothingness.

Eclipse sat perfectly still, his posture not having changed the slightest. The only difference from the scene before and after Sonic's attack was that now, a huge chunk was missing from the corner of the stone chair the Ark murderer sat upon.

'_He didn't just block my punch, he redirected it,' _Sonic thought with a frown. _'On top of that, he hardly moved. But then, what hit me?'_

"To answer the question I'm sure you're asking yourself, it was the push of the air current I created that hit you."

"Stop bluffing!" Sonic yelled back. "You didn't budge an inch and I didn't sense any spike of Chaos energy!"

"You were too distracted to notice the flick of my wrist."

'_Flick of the – but that's completely impossible!'_

"He created a shockwave of air with just the flick of his wrist? But…he doesn't have a wind affinity of any kind, does he?" Silver asked, his eyes growing wider by the second.

"He's trying to tell us that he did it with pure physical strength. But I don't buy it, no one's that strong," Rouge hissed, her eyes narrowed at the white and silver hedgehog.

"The title of ultimate life form isn't just a catchphrase, little bat," Eclipse retaliated evenly. "I was created to be the perfect organism."

"Tch, it obviously didn't work, since Gerald created Shadow after that," Sonic spat.

The Ark slayer's haunting silver eyes narrowed slightly in what Sonic guessed to be anger. "There's a reason for everything."

Sonic smiled. "You're right, just like there was a reason behind my attack."

Eclipse's eyes widened slightly, the pause in the conversation letting him notice the quiet, almost insignificant beeping sound behind him. Turning his head to the left and raising his gaze, he saw a small, black, metallic device with a flashing red light in the center firmly attached to the damaged part of his chair, the place where he redirected Sonic's fist to.

'_When did he…?'_

_Flashback_

"_Go to hell, you murderous bastard!" the blue hedgehog barked, taking a step forward, a gesture that would have intimidated anyone else. Rouge quickly shot forward and grabbed the blue hedgehog's hand before he could go any further._

_Eclipse's eyes slid shut again as he raised his head slightly, as if taking in a fresh and delicious scent. "In due time, Sonic."_

_The speed demon relaxed slightly, a wave of shock washing over his face as Rouge let go of him. "Wait – what?"_

_End Flashback_

When Rouge grabbed onto Sonic's hand, it was for two things: one, to stop the blue hedgehog from committing suicide by blindly charging at Eclipse and two, to give him a small explosive device.

Head spinning back to look at the blue hedgehog, Eclipse saw a smirk form on the hero's face.

"Bang."

The bomb went off.

A shockwave of air and fire slashed through the room as burned and broken rock was sent flying in every direction. The ground below Sonic's feet shook, but he kept his firm gaze on the place where he had last seen Eclipse.

Then, faster than anyone could blink, the blue hedgehog spun on his heel and brought his right hand in front of his face, successfully blocking the fist that was aimed for his head. Not beginning to even consider letting go of his entrapped foe, Sonic reeled back his free arm and sent it soaring towards Eclipse's head.

The Ark murderer cracked his neck to the side, barely avoiding the punch. For a moment, the two remained still, but then Eclipse's eyes narrowed. Behind him, Silver was lunging straight at him, his hands lit up with neon-green energy.

Sonic's eyes widened when he felt a sudden and powerful burst of Chaos energy. Scanning over Eclipse's body for a second, he saw a fine outline of silver energy around him and his cloak.

"Chaos…"

'_Shit!'_

"**Silver, get back!**"

Releasing his hold on the ultimate life form, Sonic leaped back as far as he could, trying to avoid the attack he knew was coming. Silver ceased in his charge and also backed off with a leap.

"…Blast."

A rippled shockwave of explosive silver energy erupted from Eclipse's body and tore through the room. Though Sonic and the others were a good thirty feet away, the massive dome of the attack was still expanding towards them.

He had no other choice. None of his attacks could properly nullify the Chaos Blast. Closing his eyes, Sonic reached into the depths of his soul and ripped out the energy he needed, much to the dismay of the Chimera.

"**You haven't healed yet and are exhausted. Transforming now is foolish.**"

'_I don't have any choice!'_

Snapping his eyes – now the color of blood – open, Sonic's azure fur flashed into gold as he lifted off the ground. Not wasting any time, the Super hedgehog shot forward and dove into the Chaos Blast. Placing both palms on the attack, he sent surges of his own energy into it, effectively stopping its growth.

It wasn't long before the attack faded away. As the light of the attack cleared and his friends saw what he had done, Sonic collapsed to his knees, the golden aura and fur disappearing as he hit the ground.

His wounded shoulder hissed in pain and his body felt weak from exerting a much too great amount of energy in such a short period of time. But, he had stopped Eclipse from killing all of them, so the pros outweighed the cons.

"That wasn't a smart thing to do," a voice directly above him commented dryly.

Barely managing to look up, he came face-to-face with Eclipse, who reached out and lifted the blue hedgehog up by the neck, holding him at eye-level just like he had done to Shadow two years ago on Angel Island.

"I had to!" Sonic coughed. "You were gonna kill us!"

"I never had the intention to kill you, only for you to release me," Eclipse deadpanned. "Although your offensive strategies were impressive, you forgot about my ability to utilize Chaos Control."

"So what now?" Sonic asked weakly, making sure his companions were safe out of the corner of his eye. Amy was literally being held back by Silver and Rouge so she wouldn't charge in and kill herself.

"I believe our business here has concluded."

"And why is that?"

"Because my little brother has arrived."


	74. Vengeance at its Finest

**Chapter 74 – Vengeance at its Finest**

Sonic's eyes practically doubled in size. "You're brother?" It took him a full moment to realize the gravity of Eclipse's words. "Shadow!"

The moment that name left the blue hedgehog's lips, he felt an immense spike of Chaos energy coming from the opposite side of the door from which they had first entered the room. Spinning around on one heel, the rest of the heroes following suite, they barely had time to cover their eyes before the door was shredded to pieces by a blinding light, parts of it flying in all directions.

A wave of debris and the remaining light of the energy attack kept the heroes from seeing who was in the doorway for a moment, but both visual obstacles eventually cleared away. There, standing not twenty feet from Rouge, Amy, and Rouge, was a dark figure robed in a white coat with wide sleeves and a baggy hood drawn over its head.

There was no mistaking it. Sonic had burned Shadow's new attire into his memory the day he had met his counterpart again, and that was the same familiar white coat. For a few moments, no one in the room – not even Eclipse – said anything. Then the figure in the doorway slowly raised its right arm, took a light grip on the front of the hood covering its face, and removed it.

Black and red quills, longer than anyone remembered, spiked out of his head and soulless red eyes glazed over with murderous intent stared right past his former allies and straight at his ambition, his goal, and his purpose.

"Aren't you going to cry out and charge at me like last time?" Eclipse asked suddenly, breaking the tension-filled silence lingering in the room.

The dark hedgehog's eyes only narrowed at the words of his brother, but he kept his mouth in a firm, thin line. Sonic, Rouge, Amy, and Silver stared at the ultimate lifeform with fear-filled, wide eyes. Last time they had met, Shadow had tried to kill them all, so would he now finish the job?

With a lazy turn of his head, Shadow's eyes landed on Amy. The pink hedgehog nearly squeaked out of fear of being picked out by the dark hedgehog. Really, why did he have to look at her, the weakest one of the group?

"Leave."

The command was so simple and plain, but it took Amy and the others a good moment to process it through their brains. Leave? That was it? No death-threats or Chaos Spears? But, the more Sonic thought about it, the more logical it became. Shadow's whole reason for living for the past two years was standing in the center of the room, so he probably didn't give a damn about them at the moment.

Of course, that didn't stop him from protesting, an action which he sorely regretted. "Wait a –"

A second would have been an insult to how fast a blazing Chaos Spear flew past Sonic's head, missing it by inches and hitting the wall behind him in a scorching explosion of energy and heat. Sonic's mouth went dry as he closed it. Was he insane? Shadow had thought of nothing else for two years, and now he was trying to interrupt him?

It was at that moment that Sonic made up his mind. Yes, he was going to save Shadow, but not now. As Eclipse said, Shadow's thirst for revenge was what kept him from his home and friends, so maybe if he accomplished it, he would be easier to convince him to return with them.

It broke his heart, but reluctantly, he called out to his friends. "Rouge, Amy, Silver, let's keep going."

He faced Rouge, hoping – praying – that she would understand his reasoning. Her stare said it all, she understood perfectly. Though her eyes were glazed over with unshed tears, the huntress knew what Sonic was thinking and agreed whole-heartedly.

Flicking her wrist at Amy and Silver, a motion which ordered them to follow her, she began walking away from Shadow, a piece of her heart shattering with each step she took. Eclipse may have been why Shadow trained for so long, but Shadow was the reason Rouge trained for so long and simply walking away from him when he was so close was killing her.

Reluctantly, Silver and Amy followed. Rouge held her breath as she passed the motionless Eclipse, sending him the most hateful glare she could come up with. The original ultimate life form simple stared at her and, parting his mouth, whispered a set of words that were so quiet only Rouge could hear them.

"_Hold your head high Rouge, the future you desire will come."_

The bat's eyes widened, but she kept walking, ignoring the hedgehog's cryptic words and his blank stare. Amy and Silver were hot on her heels, and when they finally reached Sonic, all four heroes hesitated for a moment before opening the door that led to the roof of the tower and heading though it, Sonic the last one.

With a turn of his head, he caught Shadow's gaze one last time. The dark hedgehog, surprisingly, stared right back at him. There was a hidden conversation in their eyes: Sonic's grass-green ones promising to bring Shadow back one day, and Shadow's fire-red ones opposing the hero's plan every step of the way.

The door clicked shut, leaving only the two ultimate lifeforms in the room.

Shadow's fiery glared was once again focused full-force upon his brother. "Now that there are no more distractions, it can finally end here."

Eclipse's stare remained as blank and indifferent as ever. "What makes you think that, little brother?"

"I've dreamed of nothing else for the past two years," Shadow snarled, his voice so venomous that it would have made Mephiles himself proud.

"But in the end, your dream will remain just that – a dream."

On cue, a Chaos Spear flared to life within Shadow's left hand, gracefully dancing within his palm. "I'll turn my dream into a reality."

Something in Eclipse's eyes flickered. "To turn dreams into reality, you have to grasp hold of your true purpose first."

"Don't lecture me about my purpose!" Shadow snarled, his eyes dancing with anger, the Chaos Spear in his palm nearly doubling in size. "I've known nothing else for two years!"

"Then tell me, little brother, what do you think your purpose is?" the older sibling asked indifferently, his stance completely still, as if he existed above the barriers of tangibility.

"**Your death**!"

In a wisp of white, yellow, and black, the ultimate life form had disappeared from sight. Eclipse remained completely motionless for a moment before sharply lifting his left arm, effectively grasping a hold of Shadow's arm, holding the fiery Chaos Spear aimed for his head mere inches away.

"You should know better than to use such simple attacks, little brother."

The dark hedgehog's loose white coat fluttered by his sudden flurry of movement before it settled back against his body. Not even thinking of deactivating the Chaos Spear that he had intended to ram through his brother's skull, Shadow charged up a second in his free hand and thrust it towards Eclipse's stomach.

Shadow's brother caught that arm as well, now holding a Chaos Spear away from his head and torso. The light created by the two attacks made it nearly impossible to see anything farther away than three feet. That's when Eclipse's eyes widened slightly at a sharp, sudden spike of Chaos energy.

'_He's using the light of the Chaos Spears as a distraction.'_

Releasing his hold on his younger brother, Eclipse jumped back just in time to avoid a lethal shockwave of crimson-red energy that erupted from Shadow's body like a nuclear explosion. The Chaos Blast tore through rock and granite, creating a large crater below Shadow's feet and burning away some of the roof above.

But, there would be no pause in the fight. Eclipse coiled his upper body backwards just in time to avoid a full round-house kick from Shadow, who after missing the blow, once again disappeared in a faze of red light. Still in the same position, Eclipse slapped a palm onto the ground, turned his body around one hundred eighty degrees, and spun much like a break-dancer would to avoid another attempted punch by Shadow.

The dark hedgehog cursed slightly, agitated at not having landed a single blow. But, he knew his brother was insanely strong, so this was going to be no walk in the park. Two years, two years of rigorous training was all for this day, this battle.

Using Chaos Control once again, Shadow appeared right beneath the still spinning Eclipse and slammed his palms upwards in an attempt to knock the older hedgehog into the air when Eclipse used their signature move, Chaos Control, to disappear from sight.

A small burst of tell-tale energy told Shadow all he needed to know and in less than a second, the dark hedgehog spun around, catching his brother's fist with his palm and curling his fingers around it, tightly holding it in place. Retaliating for the attempted blow, Shadow lunged forward and hooked his arm, sending his fist flying towards Eclipse's face, who copied his brother's defensive action and caught it as well.

Locked in a physical stalemate, the two stared each other dead in the eyes. Shadow's like two years before, were narrowed and burning with hatred while Eclipse's were cool and impassive. That look, it enraged Shadow to no end. It was like everything was below Eclipse, like nothing could touch him. Well, it was time to break out one of his new techniques and show his brother that he meant business!

"Chaos Current!"

Eclipse's cool silver eyes narrowed slightly when sparks of Chaos energy materialized around Shadow and danced across his entire body, snaking down his arms and towards Eclipse's own. As a last-ditch attempt, the older brother attempted to pull away, only to be held firmly in place by Shadow.

The volt-like, yellow energy of Shadow's attack reached his older brother. This was it; he was going to land the first hit of the fight!

The dark hedgehog's ambitions shattered when a silver shield materialized in front of Eclipse's arms, partly covering Shadow's as well. The Chaos Current hit the silver energy full-force and simply bounced off, lashing around wildly. The ultimate life form cursed and deactivated the attack, the sparks of energy fading away.

Releasing his hold on his brother's fist, Shadow launched himself at Eclipse, sending his arm sailing towards the original ultimate life form. Eclipse saw the attack coming, released his brother's hand, and jumped back a few feet to a safe distance, the protective shield of silver energy still in front of him.

'_So it can only block energy attacks? I'll need to probe it for more weaknesses,' _Shadow thought.

In a blink of red, the black and red hedgehog clasped in white disappeared from view. Eclipse safely maintained his Chaos Shield, eyes scanning the area for his little brother. A burst of Chaos energy behind him gave Shadow away. Spinning around, and it turn moving the Chaos Shield as well, Eclipse's defensive technique deflected a blazing Chaos Spear just seconds before it would have hit him square in the face.

Shadow was still nowhere to be seen. He was most likely trying to find a weak spot in his technique, and was probing around until he found something. Well, if Shadow was as strong as Eclipse hoped, he should have figured out the Chaos Shield's weakness by now.

Shadow reappeared right before Eclipse once again, launching his right leg at his older brother's shoulder. The white hedgehog's arm shot out and blocked the attack expertly before he grabbed onto Shadow's leg with his free hand. The black hedgehog smirked, a fiery red aura settling over his body.

Eclipse's cool silver eyes widened, instantly releasing his young brother and leaping back to a safe distance. Shadow, in turn, redirected all the concentrated energy in his body into his right arm, making it glow a brilliant red.

"Chaos Blast!" Shadow roared, sending a funneling shaft of red energy directly towards his brother.

Eclipse barrel-rolled to the side just in time to avoid the attack. The shaft of energy sped by him and hit the far end of the wall, completely shattering it and putting a hole the size of a small truck into it, causing the entire room to shake.

Shadow lowered his arm slowly, eyes narrowed at his brother, who also regained his full height.

"I've figured out the limitations to your technique," Shadow spat. "You can only deflect energy-based attacks in front of you and if an attack has too great a concentration of Chaos energy, it would be too much for your shield to handle."

"Very sharp," Eclipse commented. "But there's one thing you overlooked."

"I didn't overlook anything," Shadow replied calmly. "I know that you can't use Chaos Control when you're using that technique. That's why you dodged my attacks instead."

"Even if you know the limitations of the technique, it doesn't mean you'll be able to get past it."

The black hedgehog smirked. "You're underestimating me, _big brother_. I have a technique that can shatter that shield of yours in an instant."


	75. The Griffon Emerges

**Chapter 75 – The Griffon Emerges**

"Confident, aren't you?" Eclipse asked, his voice monotone.

"I'm not like I was two years ago," Shadow snarled, a fiery fury dancing in his hell-red eyes.

"Though you may have gained strength, you still understand nothing. You're as naïve as you always were, still blind to the truth."

Shadow disappeared.

The white and silver hedgehog clad in black didn't even flinch or budge as his little brother pressed two fingers to the back of his neck. Shadow's eyes were wide with fury, his mouth twisted into an ugly scowl, his teeth barred like an animal's.

"My eyes see everything perfectly, you murderous piece of_ shit_!" the ultimate life form snarled. "I've seen you stand over the dead bodies of Gerald and Maria since the day I was granted that memory! I've seen nothing but hatred and blood. I've seen the tears of my former comrades after I abandoned them! And now…"

Eclipse spun around, the Chaos Shield nearly knocking Shadow back had he not jumped back himself. The black hedgehog powered up a Chaos Spear in his right hand, then a second in his other. He glared at his brother under the unnatural light of his Chaos energy, his eyes dancing with fury.

"…I see your death!"

Shadow charged, his hover shoes flaring to life beneath him, his white cloak fluttering wildly, the two Chaos Spears dancing madly within his hands. Eclipse remained still, the Chaos Shield still in front of him.

With a roar, Shadow drove the first Chaos Spear into the shield. A shockwave coursed through his arm, as if he had hit rubber. Getting knocked back a few feet, the dark hedgehog scowled and replaced the lost Chaos Spear with another. But this time, he did not charge forward recklessly. Instead, his eyes carefully scanned his surroundings, noting how the sides of the room they were in curved, much like a bowl.

It was perfect for what he had in mind. But first, he needed to be absolutely sure of the limitations of Eclipse's shield.

In a flash of red, Shadow disappeared from sight, appearing right behind his brother's unguarded back. Smirking, the dark hedgehog lunged forward, ready to drive the Chaos Spear through his brother's black heart.

Eclipse spun around, the Chaos Shield sending Shadow and his attack flying back. The ultimate life form landed in a crouched position, his eyes focused upon his brother.

'_The shield can only block what's in front of him,' _he thought, before a smirk arched its way onto his dry lips. _'Perfect.'_

Standing back up to his full height, Shadow charged up yet another Chaos Spear to make up for the one he had just lost. Activating his hover shoes, their fires flaring under his feet and lifting him off the ground slightly, Shadow took off. Eclipse got into a defensive stance, bending his knees slightly in anticipation of his brother's attack.

To his mild surprise, Shadow steered to the left, speeding towards the circular wall of the room. In one, graceful leap, the ultimate life form was on the wall, continuing his mad dash, his hover shoes humming softly as his white cloak fluttered around his body. Now completely horizontal to the ground, the dark hedgehog increased his speed, becoming nothing more than a black and white line that dashed across the wall.

Eclipse's keen silver eyes were in constant motion to keep up with his little brother. "Running around the wall won't do you any good, little brother."

On cue, the white and black line began to emit a small, bright yellow light. It was followed by another and together, they grew in size and brightness until it looked like the speeding Shadow was nothing more than a yellow light zipping across the wall.

"Chaos…"

Eclipse's eyes widened slightly, realizing what his brother was doing. His Chaos Shield was a near-perfect defense, a technique that could block any frontal attack. But, when attacks came from every side…

The white hedgehog's lip twitched upward for a moment.

"…**Barrage!**"

A rain of yellow energy blasts flew from Shadow's hands, all heading straight for his brother and since he was going round and round on the wall, circling Eclipse like a mighty bird of prey, the energy blasts came from all directions in less than a second.

The Chaos Shield Eclipse had summoned managed to deflect a few of the blasts, but Shadow's attack was much too overwhelming. Gasping, the elder Ark sibling was hit once, twice and then became lost in a sea of energy blasts that continued their merciless assault on their target.

Shadow gritted his teeth, feeling his arms beginning to strain from throwing so many energy blasts. This attack was powerful, much stronger than two years ago, but it still took an enormous toll on his body and energy reserves.

The black hedgehog had counted every single blast he had shot at his brother and, feeling that two thousand five hundred fifty-three were enough, gradually lessened the attack until the last blast left his hand. Flashing away with Chaos Control, Shadow reappeared a good thirty feet from the now massive cloud of debris and smoke that concealed his older brother.

He was absolutely positive that the fight wasn't over yet. But, at least he had managed to get in the first blow, and a toll-taking one at that. Unless his brother had performed some kind of miracle, he should have received plenty of damage from that attack.

"I know that wasn't enough to kill you," Shadow deadpanned, his fiery red eyes narrowed at the smoke cloud. "Stop playing possum."

"Shadow…"

The dark hedgehog's eyes widened slightly. The voice was right behind him. Jumping before thinking, Shadow leaped into the air, performed a back-flip and landed gracefully on the ground, his eyes now once again on his brother.

He smirked. The attack had hit its mark.

The upper left half of Eclipse's black cloak was completely torn to shreds, exposing the hedgehog's arm, shoulder, and part of his chest. Other than that, the cloak was torn or burned just about everywhere. There were holes and cuts here and there. Eclipse himself was in better condition, but still damaged. He had multiple burns across his chest and arm, as well as a few bloody gashes.

"…you've become strong. Very strong."

"I don't need you to tell me that," Shadow shot back before his smirk grew a little. "Your blood already did."

"Ah," Eclipse replied, closing his eyes. "Of course. You've drawn first blood. But, that attack also took a toll on your Chaos energy. You've lost roughly a sixth of it."

"Did you really think I came here unprepared?" Shadow asked, sneering. "I've been planning for this day for two years."

"Planning for something and actually doing it are two entirely different things, little brother," Eclipse replied, his eyes as dead as a corpse.

"Don't call me that!" Shadow hissed. "I'm not your brother! We severed our ties the day you killed everyone I loved!"

"You will always be my brother, whether you like it or not. We are unique siblings, bound by something thicker than blood."

"You're right," the ultimate life form cut in. "We're bound by Maria's blood! The blood that you spilled!"

"It was necessary," the older of the two replied softly, almost sadly.

"Shut the hell up!" Shadow spat, his eyes narrowing with each word that left his brother's lips. "Nothing could have justified what you did."

"No, one thing – or more accurately, one person – justified my actions."

The ultimate life form was at the brink of breaking, of losing his cool. Each word he spoke, each breath his brother took only infuriated him more. Calmly and as discreetly as possible powering up his next attack, a spark of energy danced within his right hand.

"Who?"

"This isn't the time for you to know."

That was all it took.

In a flash, the small energy sparks within his hand burst into an orb of red. Raising his arm, the dark hedgehog launched the ball at his brother, who instantly jumped to the side to avoid it.

Shadow smirked, flicking the wrist of the arm he used to throw the attack. In an instant, the red orb split apart into five separate, smaller orbs that covered a vertical perimeter of at least ten feet. Attached to each orb was a tiny, near invisible string of red energy that snaked back to the tips of Shadow's fingers.

"I call this technique the Chaos Hydra," Shadow breathed out with a dark, sinister smirk, his fiery eyes focused solely on his older brother.

With a fierce tug of his arm, the ultimate life form sent the five orbs into frenzy. They became a simple, blurry cloud of red that formed around Eclipse, a loud whizzing sound cutting through the air as the technique trapped the original ultimate life form. Keen silver eyes moved constantly to keep up with the five separate orbs, not once closing to blink.

Shadow tugged and yanked his arm around fiercely to keep the orbs in constant motion, but when he thought it was enough to finally confuse his brother, the dark hedgehog snapped his arm down. In an instance, all five orbs were sent flying towards Eclipse, surrounding him on all sides in an inescapable cage.

"Chaos Blast."

Shadow's eyes widened as those quiet words left his brother's lips. Inches before the Chaos Hydra could reach him, the Ark murderer released a massive wave of silver energy from his body, knocking all five orbs – each aimed for a vital point – back.

Cursing, the black and red hedgehog yanked his arm back to save his technique before it was consumed by the blast. The five red orbs hung in the air above him in disarray, each energy string still demanding a constant supply of power. Without Shadow feeding the orbs energy through the strings, the Chaos Blast surely would have destroyed them.

Rethinking his strategy slightly, Shadow stretched out his free arm so that it was horizontal with the ground. Powering up a Chaos Spear in the blink of an eye, the dark hedgehog raised the arm holding his signature move and slammed it into his other hand. It disappeared in an instant, seemingly absorbed.

Eyes focusing once again on his brother, who still stood before Shadow motionless, the ultimate life form sneered and drew his arm holding the Chaos Hydra back before whipping it forward, sending all five orbs flying.

Eclipse, seeing this as yet another attempt with what Shadow tried earlier, powered up another blast to counter it.

"Chaos…"

Eclipse's eyes went wide when one of the five orbs, the one on the far left, suddenly released a blazing Chaos Spear that headed straight for his heart. Caught off guard and knowing that he couldn't power up the blast in time, Eclipse sprang to the side, but not before being grazed in the left arm by the attack, shredding his black cloak and burning his skin.

For a split moment, not even a second, his eyes closed in pain.

It was all Shadow needed.

With a roar, the younger of the two sent the Chaos Hydra flying at his brother. The orbs circled him once and flew back over to Shadow. Eclipse gasped, feeling the nearly invisible threads of Chaos energy ensnaring his body. He could feel them cutting through his cloak and into his skin.

Shadow's smirk was beyond malicious as he watched his older brother gasp in pain again. "Don't bother trying to use a technique. Those energy cords nullify any output of Chaos energy that doesn't originate from me."

He had done it. He had his brother trapped, right where he wanted him. Now all that was left to do was squeeze and send his five energy orbs flying for Eclipse's vital points. It was over, the fight was won.

"I've done exactly what you've told me, brother," Shadow hissed, his eyes narrowed into slits. "I've hated you, severed my bonds, and thirsted to see you die. Now, it's become a reality. With this attack, I'll avenge everyone you murdered; I'll send you straight to hell"!

Eclipse's eyes widened slightly, adrenaline pumping through his veins as the energy strings of the attack dug themselves even further into his skin, making him wince slightly.

"Chaos Hydra!"

Lashing his arm back like a whip, the ultimate life form sent the five orbs of energy flying at his brother, bringing down the final curtain in the tale of the two Ark siblings. The five red-hot energy spheres screeched in anticipation of tasting blood and neared their target by the second.

'**Hm, will you use me now?'**

Eclipse's lips twitched into a microscopic smile. _'I suppose it's necessary.'_

Unlocking the mental barrier Eclipse used to keep his beast in check; it finally emerged and manifested itself around the Ark murderer's body. A wave of bleach-white energy soaked around his body, outlining him in an all-around shield of energy. Then, it twisted and morphed until it transformed so that the energy around his head became pointed like a beak and a single, elegant wing jutted from where his right shoulder blade was.

The energy strings ensnaring him burned away under the beast's colossal energy and with a simple evasive maneuver, Eclipse leaped into the air and avoided all five energy orbs that had been meant to end his life.

Shadow's eyes went wide at seeing the release of another beast. _'What the hell, he has one too?'_

Landing safely on the ground, Eclipse smiled at his younger brother's shocked expression. "Surprised, little brother, that I am the incarnation of light, that I command the Griffon?"

With ice-cold realization, Shadow realized a plain, simple fact that he had forgotten the moment he noticed his brother's transformation.

Their fight had just begun.


	76. Darkness Unrestrained

**Chapter 76 – Darkness Unrestrained**

Shadow felt an icy chill creep up his spine at the sight of his brother basked in the power of the Griffin. He knew that he himself held such an ancient creature, but that his own brother would have one as well? Was it pure coincidence? His beast had told him that the vessel of a beast has an affinity for the element the beast represents.

He scoffed. Eclipse had no affinity with light whatsoever. He was evil, a disease that needed to be exterminated. Then why, why was the beast of light manifesting itself within his brother? There had to be an explanation, a rational reason.

Knowing that his Chaos Hydra was now completely useless, Shadow let the attack sizzle and die away, fading into nothingness like a movie just before the credits. The fight between them had just reached a whole different level. Now that Shadow knew his brother had even more abilities similar to his own, it would be like fighting a mirror image.

"Why do you have a beast?" Shadow asked, careful to keep his tone neutral.

The form of the Griffon swirled around Eclipse's body like a constantly churning pool of white water as the original ultimate life form's blank eyes bore into his brother's. "It's ironic, isn't it? For someone like me to have the beast of light is quite a shock, I suppose."

"You didn't answer my question!" the dark hedgehog shot back, once again quickly losing his temper. His brother was the only one that could ever do that to him.

"I was chosen, obviously. Just like you were."

'_Shit, he knows! But how?'_

"There's something you're hiding, something big," Shadow replied. "How do you know about my beast?"

"I, unlike you, have heard of the tale of the seven incarnations. I know everything about them, including who currently possesses each beast."

'_Others? Are they his allies? If I don't manage to kill him now, they might aid him, or even intervene in the fight. I'll have to eliminate them as soon as possible.'_

"Who are they? Tell me!" Shadow hissed, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Why do you want to know, little brother?" Eclipse asked impassively, the form of the Griffin still coolly dancing around his body, its single wing constructed of pure energy folded against his back.

"Because they're next on my list after I kill you! If they're like you and me, they must be your allies, and I plan on killing anyone aligned with you," Shadow shot back.

"Anyone aligned with me? What purpose will that bring little brother?"

"Because anyone that's in league with a piece of shit like you deserves to die!" Shadow snarled, his voice vicious.

"Taking your revenge one step further when no one else had anything to do with it? You're acting childish."

"Shut your God damned mouth!" Shadow yelled, the Dark Emerald embedded within his chest pulsing slightly, feeling its master's rage beginning to boil. "You may have killed Maria, but I know that you must have joined someone after the massacre! This organization you're with is most likely it!"

"They had nothing to do with the massacre. I slaughtered everyone aboard the Ark solitarily. No one helped me."

"I don't give a damn!" the ultimate life form growled, milky yellow fur stained with black flame markings creeping out of his chest and over his body. "I'm not just going to kill you; I'm going to kill everyone you associate yourself with! I want you to know that everyone you ever knew died by my hands! Maybe then you'll feel a little of my hatred!"

"Bold words for foolish actions, little brother," Eclipse replied, completely waving off his sibling's outburst. "You can't hope to kill every member of this organization alone. They're beyond you."

"Do you really think I care about their power? I'll find a way to kill each and every one of them! So tell me, who has the other beasts?"

"Not my organization, if that eases your mind," the white and silver hedgehog deadpanned.

"**Tell me**!" Shadow roared, his transformation complete. He had ascended to the Dark Super form.

Eclipse's eyes narrowed. "Your former allies."

The black hedgehog's eyes widened slightly. "…What?"

"Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge, Silver – they're all incarnations like you and me."

"That's…"

_Flashback_

_A dozen or so pebbles on the ground suddenly rattled, causing Shadow's right ear to twitch from the slight sound._

_Narrowing his eyes, they went wide the next second._

_The golden energy was starting to consume Sonic's body again, but this time it seemed brighter, more intense. The aura spread until the hero's entire body was inked in it, slow waves of the light waving off and disappearing into the air above._

_Then, causing Shadow's eyes to widen even more than they were before, Sonic's royal blue fur was drenched in a beautiful golden._

_He knew exactly what was going on, he had seen this countless times. Sonic the Hedgehog was transforming into his Super form, but without the Chaos Emeralds?_

_How was that even possible?_

_End Flashback_

"…not…possible."

"Why is that, little brother?"

"They're weaklings!" Shadow spat, his crimson-red eyes narrowing. "How could they control something that powerful?"

"You've underestimated your friends, little brother," Eclipse replied calmly.

"They're not my friends!" the ultimate life form yelled back before he could stop himself. His voice shrank. "…not anymore."

"Hm." Eclipse closed his eyes. "We are all connected somehow, by bonds. They cannot be broken or severed, only weakened to the brink of destruction. No matter how hard you try the bond between you and them will always remain."

"I've had enough of your psychological bullshit!" Shadow hissed. "I'm going to do what I came here to do."

"Then do it, little brother. No one's stopping you, unless of course, you're too weak to kill me."

Shadow disappeared in a flash of red light.

Eclipse readied himself for his brother's imminent attack, eyes scanning the area for a flash of Chaos Control. Throughout years of combat, Eclipse's body tended to react before his mind could, and this was no different. Before he could even see the attack coming, he raised his arm to block Shadow's high kick, feeling himself pushed back slightly from the force of the blow.

The Dark Super hedgehog growled, the emerald throbbing more powerfully than it ever had. This was what he had been waiting for, this was it! His destiny, their destiny. Shadow landed on the ground before his brother, charging up a Chaos Spear within his palm and lunging forward wildly.

'_Hm hm hm, my blood boils within you, little one.'_

Eclipse side-stepped to avoid the attack, and before Shadow could even blink, the white hedgehog's white energy tail slashed over the ground and struck him across his face. The ultimate life form's head snapped to the side, a deep gash running along his cheek. That blow wasn't meant to injure, but to insult.

He was taunting him, just like he did on Angel Island two years ago.

The seed of anger within Shadow burst into a full-grown tree of hatred, and without remorse or reason, he lunged at his brother, his right eye bleeding from red to black. Eclipse jumped back slightly to avoid his younger brother's swipes and punches, his gaze as impassive as ever, the Griffon's form dancing calmly around his body.

"Why did you do it?" Shadow screamed, his voice ripe with venom as he continued throwing blow after blow, none of them hitting their mark. "**Why did you betray me, your own brother? Why did you kill Maria?**"

Eclipse remained completely silent, dodging each blow with the grace of a dancer. Then something happened that shocked even the white hedgehog: he saw the glint in Shadow's mismatched eyes.

He was on the verge of tears.

Something within Eclipse's demeanor broke, and he hesitated for a split second. That was all Shadow needed, as he dove forward and slammed his fist into his brother's jaw with all the power and force he could muster on such a short notice.

The original ultimate life form's eyes went blank as the force of the punch sent him sailing back at such an extreme speed that the air currents around him actually created a whistling sound. The elder sibling hit the wall of the circular room with a thunderous crash, blood leaving his mouth and nose with a choked cough.

Spider web-like cracks branched out from the small crater he had created upon impact as Eclipse slumped down to the ground like a lifeless rag doll, his body still and unmoving even though the Griffon now seemed extremely agitated, since it twisted and churned around his body like a disturbed spring of clear water.

Shadow's eyes were wide and glossy as the milky yellow color and black flame-marks on his fur receded back into the Dark Emerald, though his mismatched black eye remained. He had lost control; he had shown his emotions, if only for a few seconds. Silently, he cursed himself. Shadow promised himself that when the time came to confront his brother, he would treat him as an assassin would a politician: without remorse or emotion.

His left ear twitched slightly when he heard the sound of fabric rubbing against concrete. Looking towards his fallen brother, the ultimate life form saw him stand to his full height, the Griffin's form looking like it was trying to get off its master's body and fight the black and red hedgehog itself.

"Why did you hesitate? I know you could have dodged that blow," Shadow hissed, his mismatched eyes narrowed.

"I was caught off guard," the older of the two replied simply, beginning to walk towards Shadow.

"By what?"

"Your open display of weakness." Now there was an edge in his voice. "I thought you had grown to outlive your emotions, perhaps I've overestimated you."

Shadow's eyes went wide for a moment, not out of shock, but out of the realization that hit him. A part of his mind, impossible as it may be, thought that for a moment Eclipse had felt sorry for him. He thought that a part of the brother he used to know still remained. It was foolish of him.

"I've had enough of you!" Shadow barked, feeling the power of his beast creeping forth.

-

"_**Hm, so it has come to this. You do need my help.**__"_

_Shadow stood before the gargantuan mirror, a single crack running diagonally across it. A beat of silence passed, and then a black mist slowly crept through the crack, pooling around Shadow's body like a protective blanket._

"_I told you that it was a high possibility. You shouldn't be so surprised."_

_A pair of slanted, crimson-red eyes shone through the darkness on the other side of the mirror. Shadow involuntarily felt a chill creep up his spine. No matter how many times it happened, physically seeing any part of this creature unnerved him._

"_**Very well, then. I will lend you my power, Shadow, but know that you still have a duty to fulfill after you've finished with your brother and the Griffon.**__"_

_Shadow's eyes narrowed. "Don't worry, I'll keep my word."_

_Cerberus, the hound of darkness, chuckled, his voice as rough as the edge of an unsharpened blade. "__**I certainly hope so, for your sake.**__"_

_The black and red hedgehog's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing._

_Feeling the sense of curiosity within his host, Cerberus merely smirked, white, dagger-like teeth shining through the darkness right below his blood-red eyes. "__**But heed my warning, if you want to live to see tomorrow, you will not use the emerald during this fight.**__"_

"_And why is that?" Shadow asked, turning his back to the mirror, the power of the hound already flooded over his body._

_Cerberus' eyes narrowed dangerously. "__**You will lose yourself to its will, Shadow. I can only hold it off for so long before it takes over your body completely. I can already feel it pushing against me, trying to drive me away.**__"_

"_You talk as if I have no control over my own body."_

"_**Remember, Shadow, that you're sharing your body with not one, but two entities. I am your ally, no matter what happens, but I cannot say the same for the emerald.**__"_

"_It doesn't have a soul, nor is it alive, so stop treating it like it is," the ultimate life form responded calmly and with cold reason._

"_**Still so very…naïve. The emerald is alive, plotting, planning, and waiting for the right moment to strike. If you use it while you've released my power into the physical realm, I might not be strong enough to keep it in check. As it stands at the moment, I need almost all of my strength to keep it from consuming you completely.**__"_

_There was a moment of silence before, surprising Cerberus, Shadow smirked slightly. "You're speaking as if that's a problem."_

_The hound's eyes narrowed. "__**Isn't it**__?"_

"_As far as I'm concerned, this emerald is like a dog, and simply needs to be tamed like one."_

"_**How will you go about doing that**__?"_

"_That's simple. There will be a struggle between us when it tries to take over, so I'll simply defeat and overcome it. I'll force it into submission."_

"_**A bold plan.**__"_

"_Worry about the fight at hand for now, leave the emerald to me."_

_Cerberus' toothy smirk disappeared as the energy completely overtook Shadow, enveloping him in a blanket of comforting darkness; blackness deep as Hell._

"_**As you wish, seventh incarnation.**__"_


	77. The Forbidden Fruit

**Chapter 77 – The Forbidden Fruit**

Midnight-black energy sailed over Shadow's body, outlining him perfectly down to the finger tips. Though the energy was black, it was see-through, so none of Shadow's vengeful features were lost to the transformation as a long, bulky energy tail swept across the ground behind him, slicing a gash into it. The energy around Shadow's head shifted before it elongated in front of his face like a snout.

Shadow's eyes became slightly more narrow, like those of a dog, and when he parted his mouth to speak, his upper canines were revealed to be twice as long as normal. "So, now that I've evened the odds, it's finally time to reap my vengeance."

"You may have unleashed the first stage of your beast, but you should be well aware that I'm at stage two. I have the advantage, little brother," Eclipse replied evenly, not even batting an eyelash at his brother's threat.

Shadow's lips twitched into a small smirk. "Hmph, but I have something that you don't."

Eclipse remained unfazed. "And what would that be?"

"This emerald," he replied, pointing his index finger at his chest.

'**Shadow, I told you not to use it!**'

The black and red hedgehog ignored Cerberus, his mismatched black and red eyes completely focused on his older brother. He wouldn't take any chances, today was the day that Eclipse died! Shadow had told his former allies that he was willing to do anything to avenge his family, and he had meant it.

However, he wasn't foolish, and knew that at the moment he did not require the help of the emerald. He would save it for later as his trump card. Shadow knew next to nothing of Eclipse's powers and techniques, so he needed it as a last ace in the hole in case his brother did anything that was too much for him to handle.

"Of course," Eclipse said, closing his eyes. "The Dark Emerald that Mephiles granted you. You should know that the risks of using it now are extremely high."

Shadow's eyes narrowed and the next instant, he took off towards his brother, the midnight-black form of Cerberus swirling around him. Eclipse got into a defensive stance, the Griffin eagerly awaiting the clash with its opposite.

The ultimate life form reeled back his fist mid-charge before sending it flying towards Eclipse's face. The elder of the two easily caught the reckless punch with one hand, retaliating with a punch of his own with his other hand. Shadow reacted lightning-fast and caught his brother's fist as well, locking the two in a stalemate.

Shadow's burning mismatched eyes were focused completely on Eclipse's cool, impassive ones as the two struggled in a physical bout for supremacy. Muscles flexed as the forms of Cerberus and the Griffon literally tried to get at each other without the consent of their masters. This was a war as old as time itself, a battle between light and darkness and the two Ark siblings represented that role perfectly.

"Chaos…" both Eclipse and Shadow said at the same time, though Shadow's voice was filled with rage while his brother's was as impassive as ever.

"**Blast**!"

Simultaneously, both Eclipse and Shadow released a rippling, pulsing wave of half-spherical Chaos energy, Shadow's being a dark crimson while Eclipse's was a majestic silver. The two waves of energy smashed into each other and for a moment, were locked in a draw just like the ones that released them. Then, the two Chaos Blasts combined and sent a massive shockwave of white energy from the point of collision, knocking both Eclipse and Shadow back.

Both brothers flipped their bodies in mid-air and kicked off the walls they were about to smash into, leaving cracked dents as they came flying at each other again. Shadow swung his right leg at his brother, his white coat flapping from the sudden rouse. Eclipse tilted his chin up just in time for the kick to graze his fur, retaliating with a kick of his own that hit its mark square on Shadow's back.

The ultimate life form cursed and stumbled forward, about to turn around to renew the bout when he suddenly felt two strong arms slither underneath his armpits and curve over his shoulders. Eclipse had Shadow trapped in a very basic physical hold: a full nelson. Mentally berating himself for falling into such a simplistic and bothersome hold, Shadow jerked his body to the left, but Eclipse didn't even budge, and as a result, the younger of the two hardly did either.

"So, what now?" Shadow asked, sarcasm dripping though his voice. "We stand here and chat?"

"Precisely."

The dark hedgehog's mismatched eyes widened in fury and shock. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm always serious, little brother," Eclipse replied, keeping Shadow in the firm hold.

"I have nothing else to say to you!" Shadow yelled, trying again to jerk and twist his way out of his brother's steely grip, only to fail once again. After a few moments of struggling, he calmed down, his form becoming limp against his brother's.

"But I do, and I suggest you listen, little brother."

_Flashback_

_Pale moonlight shone through the large window of the Ark's Observatory. That majestic light was linked hand-in-hand with the glow of the Earth, giving the scene a sense of beauty so surreal it was nearly impossible to describe._

_A lone figure stood in front of the large window, his cool silver eyes gazing out into the vast emptiness of space, lost in thought. Eclipse remained silent for a few moments before turning around and walking to the door, the soft clanks of his metallic shoes hitting the ground echoing through the silent air._

_The door slid open with a mechanical hiss and with a final pause, Eclipse walked out into the bustling hallways of space colony Ark._

_-_

_Two small toddlers sprinted through the halls, their movements clumsy and childish as one chased the other in a make-shift game of tag. Eclipse watched as the two rushed past him with a small smile, one that grew when he saw a distressed Maria running after the two. She gave him a small smile, but said nothing as she pursued the two escaped "prisoners". _

_The hedgehog paused slightly in his steps when he saw Gerald in the corner of his eye, entering what he knew to be a restricted area. He looked severely distressed, and it caught Eclipse's concern. Deciding to follow his father, the white and silver ultimate life form slipped besides the same door Gerald had entered, making sure that no one saw him. He entered the code, already having entered this part of the colony more than once, and with a hiss, it opened, allowing him access._

_Eclipse knew that he would be punished severely if Gerald caught him, but he had never seen his father like that. It was a look of pure horror. Keeping his back against the metallic wall, the white hedgehog moved stealthily through the dimply lit hallway, already hearing faint voices echoing farther down._

_Knowing that simply waltzing in would be foolish; he spotted a small air vent above him after trying to figure out an alternative route. Smirking, Eclipse leaped up and grabbed onto the gated piece of metal covering it, pulling it down, while trying to stay as quiet as possible. With another jump, he was inside the vent._

_Eclipse huffed slightly as he crawled through the narrow vent, his elbows and knees hitting just about every part of the harsh, unforgiving metal. Spotting a source of light shining through a gate on his left, he redirected his path, hearing the voices from before, only stronger now._

"_Are you absolutely certain?" one voice, which Eclipse knew belonged to Gerald, asked._

_There was a slight pause before the answer came. "Yes, Dr. Gerald, his DNA has already started to reject the new doses of Eve we've given him."_

_Eclipse's eyes narrowed slightly as he reached the opening, peering down below into the Ark's main laboratory. Gerald was sitting in a rolling chair, his face in his palms. His assistant, Dr. Hammond, a tall lanky man with short brown hair, was standing a few feet from him with a clip board in his hands._

"_What about Shadow?" Gerald finally asked, lifting his head out of his hands._

_Eclipse's attention doubled ten-fold at the mention of his little brother's name. Was there something wrong with him?_

"_Shadow's DNA is accepting the Eve, and he'll be able to receive the final dosage when it's complete," Dr. Hammond responded evenly, trying to keep a professional tone of voice._

_Gerald gulped so loudly even Eclipse could hear it. "When will the Eve begin to wear off in Eclipse?"_

"_The doses we've given him should keep him healthy for at least another sixty years, but if he does not receive another injection after that, his body will begin to deteriorate."_

"_Damn it," Gerald choked out, and then he sat up slightly. "Wait, what about a transplant?"_

_Dr. Hammond raised a brow. "Explain, sir."_

_Gerald stood from the chair, sending it rolling back slightly. Eclipse smiled, knowing that he always begin to act like this when he saw a solution beginning to manifest itself._

"_What if we inject Shadow with the complete version of the Eve, and then transplant some of his cells into Eclipse? They were created in the same way, and have the same basic biological make-up, so Eclipse's body should accept the Eve as long as it comes with a medium, in this case Shadow's cells!"_

_There was a heavy silence, and then Dr. Hammond shot Gerald's hopes straight to hell. "Dr. Gerald, the Eve within Shadow will take at least a couple decades to spread throughout his entire body to make the procedure even possible. And even then, Shadow's odds of surviving such a procedure are slim."_

_Inside of the vent, Eclipse felt himself begin to choke up. The tension in the air was so thick that it could have been cut with a knife as Gerald slumped into his chair once again._

"_So, there's no hope for him?"_

_Dr. Hammond lowered his head. "Not unless you want to endanger Shadow as well, sir. I'm sorry."_

"_Why does his body reject the Eve?" Gerald asked, slamming a fist onto the metallic table besides him. Save for the DNA we used as a basis for their creation, Shadow and Eclipse are identical!"_

"_I believe that's the problem," Dr. Hammond responded. "For some reason, the DNA we used to create Shadow seems to have parasitic properties, allowing him to bond with almost any foreign substance introduced to his body. The DNA we used to create Eclipse was hard enough to mix with the first few version of Eve, but I don't believe his body will allow the drastic changes brought on by the final version of Eve. It's as if the DNA wishes to remain pure."_

"_How can I tell Eclipse all of this?" Gerald asked, his voice beginning to quiver. "How can I tell him that there's no way he'll survive for a little more than half a century without possibly killing his little brother?"_

"_I suggest that we keep this to ourselves, sir," Dr. Hammond said solemnly. "I know it seems heartless, but who knows what Eclipse will do if he finds out? He might try to kill Shadow and forcefully take his Eve."_

_In the vent, Eclipse's world was a whirlwind of emotions. One phrase kept on repeating itself in his head like a broken record:_

_I'm going to die._

_I'm going to die._

_I'm going to die._

_The white and silver hedgehog remained completely still, even as Gerald and Dr. Hammond left the room and turned off the lights, leaving the original ultimate life form in complete darkness. He just remained still, frozen, unable or unwilling to do anything._

_He was created to be immortal, yet his Eve was wearing off and he was going to die in sixty years…unless he took the Eve of his little brother, a process which would surely lead to his little brother's death._

_He didn't want to die, he wanted to live…but on the other hand, he didn't want to kill Shadow either. What was he supposed to do? What?_

_The hours dragged by, and eventually Eclipse' overwhelming sadness and hollowness twisted into a dull sense of anger. Gerald didn't even want him to know that he was going to die! He didn't trust him at all! How, how could the man he called father simply betray him like that._

_He calmed himself slightly, and began to shift in the vent, feeling a solution coming to him. He knew exactly what he had to do._

_End Flashback_

The room remained silent, and Shadow completely speechless, his mismatched eyes wide with horror.

"So, now you know, little brother…the reason why I killed everyone aboard the Ark," Eclipse muttered, releasing his hold on his little brother. Shadow fell to his knees, his eyes hollow and numb, the form of Cerberus swirling around him gently.

"You and I…are so much more alike than you think. I killed everyone aboard the Ark for the exact same reason that you wish to kill me…"

Shadow felt a shudder slip down his spine as Eclipse appeared in front of him in a flash, grabbing him by the collar of his white overcoat and lifting him up to eye level, though Shadow remained as limp as a lifeless doll.

"…I killed them out of revenge."

The last word that left his brother's lips seemed to stir something within Shadow, and the black hedgehog's eyes began to come into focus again as he stared into his brother's merciless orbs of sight.

"They knew that I was going to begin to rot and eventually die, yet they didn't feel the need to tell me. They wanted me to live in blissful ignorance of my own demise until it was too late to save myself…"

"…you…" Shadow mumbled.

"They deserved what I brought down upon them: a swift and bloody death…"

Shadow's eyes widened even more as a dark smirk slowly arched onto his brother's normally blank face. "…and now I'll take what's rightfully mine. It's taken many years, but the Eve has finally spread throughout your entire body…"

At Shadow's shocked expression, Eclipse's smirk grew. "Ah, of course, you don't know what Eve is, do you?"

Shadow remained silent, so Eclipse continued. "As you know, organisms age because their cells slowly begin to lose the ability to divide and multiply properly. Eve is a special enzyme that Gerald created in order to make our cells multiply and divide forever, granting us an extremely fast recovery rate and above all else…"

Eclipse closed his eyes. "…immortality." He reopened them. "You were injected with the final version of Eve when you were twelve, and as soon as your body reached a mature physical state, in your case eighteen years, you stopped aging. My body rejected the final version of Eve…and I could already feel my body beginning to deteriorate from that very day on."

Shadow remained still, the only tangible thing he could hear being the sound of his brother's voice.

"When we met two years ago, the Eve was in its final stages of completion, but it would take at least another year for it to fully mature…and now that it has, I can finally grasp the key to my immortality…"

Eclipse's smirk burst into sadistic, malicious, open-mouthed laugh as his eyes went wide with bloodlust and insanity. Tightening his grip on his brother's coat, he yanked Shadow closer to himself so that their noses were almost touching.

"**You, Shadow! You will be the one to grant me eternity!**"

Shadow's eyes doubled in size when Eclipse released a maniacal laugh, his bloodshot eyes glaring straight into his own.

Was this truly his brother? Was this truly the reason why Eclipse kept him alive while he slaughtered the reason everyone else aboard the Ark? He was nothing more than a key to his brother's eternal life?

Somehow, the insane look in Eclipse's eyes and his disturbing laughter answered those questions perfectly.

This was no longer just a fight for revenge; it was now a fight for his survival.


	78. Eternity's Cry

**Chapter 78 – Eternity's Cry**

Shadow remained motionless within his brother's grasp, his body feeling numb and his mind hollow. That was all he was, a key to his brother's eternal life? Eclipse was never the kind, caring brother he pretended to be, he was just interested in Shadow because through him he could gain immortality?

"I'm going to kill you, take your Eve and become a timeless being!" Eclipse screamed sadistically, his bloodshot silver eyes burning into Shadow's mismatched ones.

The Griffon and Cerberus danced around the two brothers, twisting into each other as if doing battle without the will of their masters. A clash of light and dark was occurring at the moment, but it seemed that each side's loyalty was severely misplaced.

"I've waited for sixty years…" Eclipse whispered, his expression relaxing slightly. "…and now I can finally claim what's rightfully mine!"

Shadow's instincts kicked in when his brother wrapped his free hand around his throat, choking the air out of him. Eclipse gave another squeeze, nearly crushing Shadow's throat as the dark hedgehog gasped for air and started twisting around wildly in his grasp. The older of the two kept his sadistic, silent stature as he moved his other hand around Shadow's throat as well.

Feeling his vision starting to blur, Shadow grit his teeth, blood beginning to seep through them. If he didn't break out of his brother's grasp soon, he would die.

Acting out of pure desperation, the ultimate life form hooked his knee into his brother's stomach, effectively startling Eclipse enough for Shadow to break out of the grasp. The black and red hedgehog fell to his knees, both hands grasping at his throat as he greedily sucked in waves of fresh air with ragged breaths.

The moment of peace didn't last long, as Shadow found himself on his back again, pain sizzling over his face from where Eclipse had kicked him. His vision blurry, his blood ran cold when he saw a bright, fuzzy light wave in front of his face like a beckoning to heaven.

"Chaos Sword."

In the nick of time, Shadow managed to summon upon the powers of Chaos Control and warped out of the way of the blast seconds before it struck the ground, leaving a lethal black scorch and overturned stone in its wake.

Eclipse didn't even look back as his elbow shot out behind him, striking the reappearing Shadow in the chest. Feeling as if a jackhammer had hit him instead of an elbow, Shadow's ebony eyes widened as Cerberus' form became slightly disrupted, like static in a radio transmission.

'_I have to put some distance between us!'_ the black hedgehog thought wildly as he jumped back a few feet, backing up slightly only to bump into the chest of his older brother.

"How–" was all Shadow managed to choke out before an explosion of Chaos energy spiked across his senses. Eclipse was going to use a Chaos Blast!

Activating Chaos Control, the ultimate life form warped away in a red photon of light just as a silver wave of pure energy shot from Eclipse's body in every direction to form a dome of light.

Reappearing behind his brother after the blast cleared, Shadow reeled back his fist, white coat fluttering eerily, and was promptly knocked away by the back of his brother's fist as Eclipse performed an elegant spin.

The black and red hedgehog landed on the ground with a few scuffs and rolls, springing back to his feet immediately, raising his right hand and beginning to summon a Chaos Spear.

In a blink of silver light, Eclipse was in front of his little brother and slapped Shadow's hand containing the Chaos Spear down by the wrist, holding it firmly in place. Shadow attempted a last-ditch punch with his other hand, but it was also ensnared by his brother.

Eclipse used Chaos Control once more and warped the two to the far end of the room, slamming his entrapped brother against the wall. Raising Shadow's arms above his head, the white hedgehog secured them by holding both of his wrists within one hand, the other hanging lazily at his side.

"End of the line, little brother," Eclipse muttered, his eyes burning dangerously into Shadow's. The black and red hedgehog struggled furiously, and grunted in pain. Eclipse's hand was squeezing his wrists like an iron vice, and he could feel its pressure increasing by the second.

Thinking fast, Shadow twisted in Eclipse's grasp, and launched himself at the ivory hedgehog feet first. Eclipse anticipated the attack, and slid to the left, leaving Shadow open.

Eclipse's fist made contact with Shadow's cheek, and white hot pain shot through his jaw. Ignoring the urge to scream, he turned just in time to see his brother's next attack headed straight for him.

Shadow barely had time to jump out of the way of Eclipse's high kick before his head was launched off his shoulders like a soccer ball. Eclipse lost no time, and rushed at his brother, the Griffon swirling madly around him. Shadow's eyes narrowed at the elder ultimate lifeform's assault, and he charged as well.

The two met in a shockwave of searing energy, as the brilliant white light of the Griffon collided with the darkness of the Cerberus. In the center of the madly swirling energy, the two brothers grappled against one another, pushing with all their strength.

Shadow's eyes shone in pure hatred, while Eclipse merely smirked slightly. Their beasts were waging war around them, as the energy began to build. Both brothers were thrown back by the clash of their beasts, and Shadow growled in frustration.

'_He's got to have a weakness...' _he thought as he raced for Eclipse, fist drawn back with a Chaos Spear cradled in it. The golden crackles of light danced madly in his palm, as he leapt for his brother. The Ark slayer caught his fist in his hand, twisting his arm mercilessly.

But to Eclipse's surprise, his brother was not grimacing in pain, but rather, smirking. Before he could wonder about this any longer, he felt a massive spike in energy as Shadow began to draw in power.

"**Chaos Blast!**" Eclipse released Shadow's hand and leapt out of the way, before waves of crimson heat began to roll off the ebony hedgehog's body. The floor cracked from the force of the blast, but Eclipse was not caught.

Both of them stood there, glaring at each other and panting slightly. Eclipse had returned to his cold, emotionless state, and eyed Shadow wickedly.

"Here you are, hunting me, hating me, when we're no different at all." Eclipse laughed slightly, and Shadow lunged at him angrily. The attack missed its mark, and the ivory hedgehog simply continued his speech.

"You're going on about how I betrayed you, when that's exactly what you've done to get to me." Now fury overtook Shadow, as the Cerberus surrounding him flared strongly. Shadow loosed a punch aimed at Eclipse's jaw, but his brother weaved out of harm's way and replied with his own blow to Shadow's stomach.

Reeling over in pain, Shadow glared up at his brother with a hatred that burned like fire. Clenching his teeth in anger and pain, he stood to his feet, and glared at his brother.

"You and me are nothing alike," Shadow snarled as he began charging Chaos Spears in both fists. Eclipse smirked slightly at such a simple tactic, and waited for Shadow to attack.

As if on cue, the ultimate lifeform raced for his brother, attacks at the ready. He began to infuse them with the power of the Cerberus, and their color suddenly diluted, and then shifted entirely from a golden yellow to a icy black.

Eclipse's eyes widened suddenly, he hadn't expected Shadow to call upon the powers of his beast on such short notice. Forming his protective force field, he prepared to block or dodge Shadow's attack.

The obsidian hedgehog's eyes flashed like lightning as he closed in on Eclipse. Pressing his fists together, he condensed the attacks into one swirling orb of black energy. The form of the Cerberus darkened around Shadow, and he was barely visible through the veil of black that encased him.

Shadow stopped directly in front of his brother, and hurled the massively concentrated attack at Eclipse's shield. The Chaos Spear could be heard crackling and hissing in mid air as it contacted the silver energy, overwhelming it and causing it to shatter.

The bolt of darkness was flying directly towards Eclipse, its mark dead set on his heart. But to Shadow's fury and frustration, his brother disappeared in a flash of light before it hit him. The attack struck the wall that was behind him, throwing chunks of rock in every direction and leaving a gaping hole in the wall.

Eclipse appeared behind him, and Shadow spun to face him. Eclipse looked ever so slightly shaken, and Shadow swore at himself for not expecting a Chaos Control.

"I see you've learned to fully harness the powers of your beast. I must say, I'm impressed," Eclipse said impassively as he dusted himself off.

"And I'll use it to kill you!" Shadow snapped as he began to stalk dangerously towards Eclipse.

"Surely you don't think that I'm not capable of the same?" The ivory hedgehog chuckled, before beginning to charge up a massive quantity of energy. Shadow raced for him, fist pulled back and ready to strike.

Eclipse took his time preparing his Chaos Blast, all the while staring Shadow down like a snake about to strike. At the last second, Eclipse infused his own energy with that of his beast, causing him to glow with a brilliant luminance.

Shadow shielded his eyes from the searing light, and stopped his assault. Eclipse unleashed his attack, and all hell broke lose. Blistering hot energy pounded at the room, as Shadow was thrown back against a wall like nothing more than a rag doll. The flooring began to crack with the pressure, as the brightly shining attack scorched everything around Eclipse.

Shadow's ears rung ferociously, as the starch white devoured visibility. At the center of the orb of light was Eclipse himself, shining with an ever greater luminosity than his attack, as if he were channeling the light of a star through his body.

When the light of Eclipse's massive attack subsided, Shadow was slumped against a wall, bruises and burns covering his body. The form of the Cerberus was flickering around him, as if it would die at any moment, and he was shaking with pain.

The ivory murderer stepped closer, as Shadow shakily began to rise to his feet. A mad gleam had come into Eclipse's eyes, as the Griffon raged around him.

'_Damn, if this keeps up, I'll be forced to use the emerald.' _Shadow remarked to his beast, who flared in anger.

'**Do not, under any circumstances, use the emerald! You will lose control.'**__The low voice of the Cerberus growled. Shadow made no reply, and glared at Eclipse hatefully.

The white hedgehog was advancing on him slowly but surely, almost as if he didn't even care that they were fighting. Rage boiled in his veins as Shadow concentrated on regaining his energy.

Eclipse was steadily getting closer, step by maddening step, an eerie scowl in his eyes. A moment later, Shadow felt the presence of the Cerberus grow stronger around him, as the flickering ceased. Cracking his neck, Shadow prepared for his next move.

Eclipse halted his stride suddenly as Shadow vanished in a flash of light. Before his brother could react, the dark hedgehog appeared behind Eclipse and grabbed ahold of him; blood drenched fingers clawing at milky white fur. Shadow grasped onto Eclipse's shoulders, and the older brother's eyes widened in surprise.

Grunting from the effort and strength required, Shadow picked Eclipse up and heaved him at the wall with all his strength. Eyes still wide, the ivory murderer crashed into the stone, causing it to crack and crumble. He slumped down at the bottom as he spat out blood, back aching from the blow.

The wall that Eclipse had struck began to collapse, revealing the blue of the sky behind it. The elder ultimate lifeform stood up, and turned around, facing away from Shadow, ignoring him as he had two years ago.

Shadow took the bait and rushed angrily at his brother, preparing to strike. The moment he came near, Eclipse seized his neck, suspending him over the ledge created by the wall's destruction.

The empty air below him clawed at him, and Eclipse's hand was a death vice on his neck. Grinning wickedly, Eclipse stared at his brother a moment before whispering in his ear.

"Meet you at the bottom, little brother." At this, Eclipse released his hold on Shadow's trachea, causing him to plummet towards the ground, his torn ivory cloak fluttering wildly. After watching his brother fall for a few seconds, Eclipse stepped off the precipice, and fell to earth along with his brother, a mad laugh escaping his lips.


	79. The Gates of Hell

**Chapter 79- The Gates of Hell**

Shadow released a frightened yell as he tumbled face first towards the ground. Eclipse was slightly above him, descending with all the controlled grace of a swooping eagle. The black hedgehog's impact with the ground felt more like it was with a ton of bricks instead of a pile of dirt. Eclipse landed on his feet a moment later, his tattered black cloak mismatching the light of the Griffon.

Shadow glared up at his brother, as a stream of blood snaked down his chin. Jumping to his feet, the ultimate lifeform felt himself reel violently from the fall, but quickly steadied himself. His eyes never left Eclipse for a moment, and the Cerberus around him flickered with an uneven rhythm.

The ivory killer's expression was nonchalant, empty of any remorse, any hatred... any love. Eclipse charged at him, a silvery light gathering in his palms. Shadow could feel his energy beginning to dwindle, and his blood froze.

Shaking off the buzzing pain that lingered from his fall, the black and red hedgehog gathered his strength and flew forward with a savage cry. White became black and black became white as the two brothers collided, vicious blows flying in every direction. Eclipse and Shadow tumbled over each other, frantically kicking, punching and wrestling.

Eclipse's knee slammed into Shadow's gut like a bolt of lightning, and the obsidian hedgehog's eyes widened in pain. He responded by attempting to punch Eclipse in the jaw, but the murderous hedgehog was too quick, and caught his wrist.

Eclipse's grip tightened as an insidious grin crept onto his face.

"You see little brother, the world is cruel. Professor Gerald wasn't even going to try to save me. He was going to let me go on thinking I was fine until I died." Shadow fought to break his brother's hold, but to no avail.

"He has already paid for his crimes. But you will bring my revenge full circle. With your Eve, I will take my place as the true ultimate lifeform." Eclipse's free hand coiled around Shadow's throat, fingers squeezing tighter and tighter.

"Finally, after all these years, you will die!" Laughing maniacally, Eclipse hurled Shadow backwards, and began to summon a powerful crackle of silver energy in his hand. Shadow stumbled to his feet and took a moment to catch his breath, before devouring every drop of power the Cerberus was offering him.

His crimson eyes shone with a hellish fury, and an eerie light, as the infectious yellow marking on his arm began to glow.

**'I told you not to use the emerald! You'll destroy yourself!' **The Cerberus growled within him.

_'I'll do whatever it takes to kill him,' _Shadow seethed.

**'The strain of maintaining the First Stage and activating the Dark Emerald could easily kill you. Are you willing to accept the consequences of your actions?'**__Shadow didn't even reply. The Dark Emerald was throbbing in his chest, as the corruption spreading up his arm flashed repeatedly. The coloring spread to cover his entire body, tainting his fur a venomous yellow with black flame markings twisting up his arms and legs.

Eclipse remained stoic, unimpressed, and yet watching carefully to discover any weakness in the new form. Shadow's eyes discolored to an empty shade of black, as he began to activate the Chaos Form. The obsidian coloring spread over his body, and the hedgehog bared his razor sharp canines.

A pair of bat-like, demonic wings sprouted out of Shadow's back, and the transformation was complete. Eclipse eyed him cautiously, as his beast urged him onward.

Appearing behind him with Chaos Control, the ivory murderer was surprised when Shadow reacted faster than he could attack, whirling around quicker than a blink. The devilish creature that Shadow had become slammed both fists into Eclipse's chest, earning a grunt of pain and a bloody cough. Eclipse's eyes widened from the force of the blow. Instead of being struck by a pair of fists, it felt more like he'd been hit by a freight train.

With a vicious snarl that would have frightened Mephiles, Shadow lashed out at his brother and caught him square in the chin. The blow caused the older brother to bite his tongue, drawing blood.

Angrily replying with a furious kick, Eclipse was surprised when Shadow ducked under the attack and tackled him to the ground.

Gather a crackling, scarlet Chaos Spear in his palm, Shadow prepared to slam the projectile into his brother's throat at point blank range. Flipping elegantly backwards, Eclipse's foot struck Shadow hard, winding him, and allowing the murderous hedgehog to escape his hold.

"Give up little brother. Even with the emerald, you can't beat me. You've learned much since our last encounter, but you're still outmatched."

"**I will not rest until** **every drop of your blood is shed!**" Shadow roared as he surged forward, bat-like wings propelling him at astonishing speed. Eclipse weaved to the left to avoid his onslaught, but Shadow was as quick as a flash. His fist thudded into Eclipse's shoulder, imparting a burst of the black hound's power.

The older ultimate lifeform's shoulder seared from the attack, and he gnashed his teeth in pain. Shadow wasted no time, and bombarded his brother with blows, his obsidian eyes flashing in hatred.

Eclipse disappeared using Chaos Control, and surprised Shadow by appearing directly behind him, knocking the younger brother flat on his face.

The Ark slayer smirked slightly, and loomed over Shadow.

"You're just like them. You believe that you can defeat me with nothing but the sheer power of your hatred, and the very same techniques I have." Shadow yelled in anger and whipped around, launching a Chaos Spear at his brother.

Eclipse merely activated his shield and ignored the attack as if it were nothing more than a pesky insect.

"Two years of training, of hating, of dreaming, and you're still not good enough. Only this time, you won't get another chance." The Griffon reached out at Shadow, and the dark hedgehog responded by preparing his own attack. Knowing he couldn't risk a Chaos Blast in such an open space, Shadow summoned a huge, darkness infused Chaos Spear in his right hand.

The normally golden energy was poisoned with a deathly black, and hissed and crackled loudly. Shadow raced at his brother, the Cerberus swirling around his Chaos Form, as the sparks of his next attack danced in his hand. Eclipse responded by firing quick Chaos Swords at his brother, but the ultimate lifeform dodged them all.

When Shadow came near and prepared to drive the attack through his brother's heart, Eclipse spun on the ground with astonishing ease, and knocked the dark hedgehog off his feet the moment the attack was fired. The obsidian bolt flew harmlessly into the sky.

Due to their proximity, and the amount of energy drain both brothers had suffered already, their fight took a highly physical turn as the ultimate lifeforms wrestled for supremacy. At first Shadow was on top, hissing and baring his sharp teeth. Then Eclipse twisted over him, gaining the leverage of the match.

Each time one brother was winning the match, the other would pull some trick, use some technique to gain the advantage, and place himself on top. Punches and kicks, jabs and hooks flew left and right, and the crack of a bone could even be heard here and there.

Eclipse leapt backwards from the fight, and launched a silvery photon of energy at his brother, who dived out of the way just in time to avoid being incinerated. This gave Shadow the upper hand, and he gladly took it. Launching himself at his older brother, he caught his opponent off guard and struck him in the head, sending white hot pain tearing through Eclipse's skull.

Throwing Shadow off him, the ivory hedgehog growled dangerously as he briefly increased the potency of the Griffon surrounding him. Shadow could feel the sizzling power of the light surrounding Eclipse, and narrowed his eyes.

_'Two can play at that game. Cerberus, I need more power!' _Shadow commanded, while trying to strengthen his own aura.

**'It's already at dangerous levels! Any more and you're sure to be lost!' **His beast warned.

_'I don't care! I need more! I have to kill him!' _Shadow demanded, and after a moment of silence, the Cerberus relented. Feeling additional power flow into his protective aura, he smirked slightly.

Now Shadow was submerged within the darkness of the Cerberus, truly a creature of night. Eclipse summoned a light infused Chaos Sword to his hand, charging it with as much power as he could.

"It ends here," Eclipse deadpanned, as he pointed his outstretched palm at Shadow, sparks of light leaping off the sizzling attack.

"It ended a long time ago," Shadow replied, "When you killed Maria." Ignoring the powerful attack resting in Eclipse's hand, the dark hedgehog surged forward, his powerful muscles flexing under his skin.

Eclipse's lips twisted into a wry smile, as he fired off the bolt of white hot fire at Shadow. The Chaos Sword collided with the dark hedgehog's arm, blazing a huge gash into it, but Shadow remained undeterred.

"It must end this way I suppose," Eclipse's mocking grin had not left, and it infuriated Shadow to no end. Shadow drew closer, and closer, his entire being prepared to kill Eclipse, and every fiber of him lusting for his brother's blood.

Eclipse fired off successive blasts as Shadow, who sidestepped again and again, slowing his approach. Still Eclipse's devilish smirk had not faded. Shadow's aura darkened even more, and he was now nearly completely invisible under the umbra of the Cerberus.

A bloody, crimson glow began to gather around Shadow, as he collected energy into himself. Eclipse's smirk only widened, and the two brothers glared directly at each other.

Shadow drew closer and closer, the scarlet energy becoming brighter each second. Shadow's intentions were clear, and Eclipse was surprised that Shadow would try such a simple-minded tactic.

"Foolish brother... in the end, you cannot win." The ivory murderer took off, charging at Shadow with dual orbs of light cradled in his fists. The brothers came within range of each other, and Eclipse released his attacks, pointing his hands at Shadow and loosing the bolts of energy at his brother.

The bearer of darkness disappeared in a flash of Chaos Control, and Eclipse turned around just in time to see his brother preparing to unleash his attack. The crimson light had become like that of the sun, as energy continued to pour from the Dark Emerald and into Shadow.

Before Eclipse could even gasp, the dark avenger loosed his furious attack, triggering a release in power like none the original ultimate lifeform had ever seen before.

"**Chaos... Blast!**" With these words, Shadow released all the energy he had been gathering in his body, enveloping his surroundings in a flaring scarlet light. An enormous sphere of dark energy tore across an area with a radius of nearly a hundred feet. Eclipse was caught in the blast, and hurled violently back against the wall of the tower, as the sheer heat singed his fur.

Once the tidal waves of crimson energy had ebbed down to a mere faint glow, Shadow was once again visible. He was standing unmoving, staring at his brother with a hatred indescribable with words.

Eclipse coughed up a puddle of blood, with droplets of it spraying onto his now dirty white fur. Smiling weakly, he stood to his feet. Shadow remained motionless, as his brother slowly began to walk forward.

"That was quite an impressive attack, I must admit." Shadow's eyes never left Eclipse's, and he made no response. When the older ultimate lifeform determined he would receive no reply, he continued.

"But I guarantee that you don't have sufficient energy for a second one. I would be surprised if you had enough left for a simple Chaos Control." Now Shadow was boiling in rage, his demon wings flapping, but his body motionless.

"And you and I both know that if you draw any more power from the emerald, you will save me the trouble and kill yourself. So what's it going to be, self destruction or defeat?" Eclipse smiled slightly, and raised up his right hand to be level with Shadow.

As the crackling sparks of energy began to dance in Eclipse's palm. Shadow drew power from the Dark Emerald one last time.


	80. A Sweet Song of Revenge

**Chapter 80- A Sweet Song of Revenge**

Like a rubber band that's pulled and pulled until it can no longer bear the strain, something snapped inside Shadow's head with that final energy draw. Eclipse began to bombard him with Chaos Swords, and he frantically jumped right and left, desperately attempting to evade further damage. Finally, he made a wrong step, and was impacted in the chest with a searing bolt of light.

Thankfully for him, the Cerberus absorbed most of the damage, but the attack charred his flesh, and winded him nonetheless. Fury bubbling over dangerously, he hissed as if he was possessed by a demon, and launched himself at his brother, his eyes as dark as his protective aura.

The ivory hedgehog remained motionless, firing off crackling attack after attack, each one missing Shadow and leaving a sizzling, bare patch in the vegetation that managed to grow within the sandy plains. An electric dryness had filled the air, sticking to the insides of their lungs and the roofs of their mouths, as if the conflict between the brothers had become a tangible thing in itself.

The dark hedgehog bared his fanged teeth in anger, as he drew more power from the Ceberus, forming it in an instant into a screaming Chaos Spear. The black energy rested obediently within his palm, awaiting its use with an expectant fury.

Eclipse's fist surged towards Shadow, but the obsidian hedgehog darted out of the way in time to have his shoulder grazed by the blow. Even from this brief contact, the forms of the Griffon and the Cerberus lashed out at each other wildly, engulfing the brothers in rivers of warring opposites, darkness and light battling as they had for eons.

Shadow spun to the left, kicking his brother in the pelvis, the muscles in his leg flexing to exert all their strength. Eclipse squinted in pain as he felt the joint pop loudly, but he warded his brother off with a shining silver light. Shadow snarled and leapt backwards, distancing himself from his enemy.

He'd recovered his lost energy from the Dark Emerald, but Shadow could already feel it beginning to course through his whole being, to devour him from the inside like an insatiable hunger, and he dared not take any more. Eclipse threw a punch at Shadow in his distraction, and nearly caught his brother squarely in the jaw, missing by a mere hair's breadth.

He followed this attack with a kick aimed at Shadow's stomach, but was surprised when the winged hedgehog dove out of harm's way like an obsidian lightning bolt, replying with a ferocious blow of his own.

When Shadow's fist made contact with Eclipse's shoulder blade, a searing, fiery agony shot down the ivory hedgehog's arm, and he howled in pain, a bestial, animal scream exploding from his lips. But Shadow's blood lust was not nearly satisfied. While Eclipse was still in shock from the first attack, he seized his brother's arm, fingers curving around it like white nooses to prophesy Eclipses' doom. Gripping it with all his strength, Shadow slammed his brother into the ground like he was no more than a punching bag; as easily slung about as a scarecrow.

Growling like a ravenous, hungry lion like the beast within him, the homicidal ivory hedgehog gathered a shimmering Chaos Sword in his hand as he stood slowly to his feet. Shadow's razor sharp teeth curved into a venomous smirk, his own blood dripping from his canines. Eclipse could tell that his brother was running dangerously low on energy, but the obsidian avenger didn't seem to notice, his mind set on a single thing, one goal.

He'd dreamed of it every night for two years. Every day, he'd sweat and bled and wept for this one day, the culmination of everything was today.

Yet in some twisted way, Eclipse was proud. His brother was a worthy opponent, possibly even his equal. It had been long since he fought an enemy of this caliber.

"You've put up quite a fight brother. But you're nearly completely depleted of energy." In defiance of this proclamation the younger brother formed a madly swirling Chaos Spear in his hand, which crackled with an ebony light.

The Griffon loosed an earth-shaking roar, but neither Shadow nor his beast even blinked, almost as if they hadn't heard it at all.

"Don't underestimate me," he seethed in fury, the Chaos Spear within his palm gradually expanding. His brother smirked arrogantly, an eerie, bloodthirsty twinkle in his eye.

"It's a shame really. You would've been a welcome addition to my organization. That is, if I didn't have plans for your Eve."

"**I would never join you, not even if the world depended on it!**"

Although not quite hurt, Eclipse looked as if he was almost disappointed by this, and summoned his own energy in response. Shadow had stopped advancing, and they were so close that they could feel each other's breath.

"What an unfortunate _waste_," Eclipse grinned, his blood blackened teeth curving in an insidious smile. Shadow's glare only intensified, as he leaned in further, almost as if to give his brother a kiss on the cheek.

"I will make you suffer more than anyone who has ever lived. I'll reduce you to a pathetic, groveling wretch," he growled, as Eclipse listened quietly, as if Shadow was saying the very things he wanted to hear. "You'll beg me to take your life. And finally, when you wish to die... _I will grant your wish_."

Immediately after finishing his speech, the winged hedgehog tackled his brother to the ground with an otherworldly, piercing screech. Eclipse responded frantically by raising his legs and kicking Shadow in the chest, knocking him off and putting some distance between them.

Wasting no time, the Cerberus enshrouded warrior leapt to his feet, his chest rising and falling with rapid, ragged breaths that tore in his thoat. Eclipse fired off his brilliantly shining attack, the unnatural wind created by it throwing up dust as it traveled. Shadow ducked at the last second, but felt the sheer heat of the bolt singe him as it passed a mere fraction of an inch above him.

Cursing, the Ark slayer gathered another projectile within his hand. The black Chaos Spear Shadow held had continued to slowly grow until it was now not much smaller than a bowling ball, and looked as if it was too large and powerful to control; would explode out of Shadow's grasp at any moment.

Another blindingly bright orb of silver light left Eclipse's hands and raced for Shadow, who was beginning to close in on his brother. The attack grazed the younger brother's leg, driving back the shroud of the Cerberus and tearing a gash in the solid black flesh beneath, blood dripping down his calf.

Eclipse's left eye narrowed in rage, and he fired off three successive Chaos Swords, each separated by no more than a blink. The muscles in the dark hedgehog's legs tensed and then launched him into the air, allowing the attacks to pass harmlessly by underneath him. His older brother attempted to hit him while in mid air, but once again, the silvery bolt came into contact with nothing.

It seemed as if there was nothing that could deter the dark hedgehog's vengeance, no force in the universe powerful enough to oppose him. Shadow landed on his feet, his eyes flashing in hatred. The elder ultimate lifeform's knowing smirk was gone entirely, replaced by an entirely different emotion, as his brother came at him like a falling bomb.

The vengeful hedgehog's palm pointed towards his brother, the corrupted Chaos Spear crackling within his fingers. Eclipse knew that his energy barrier could not stop such a concentrated attack, and so he dove out of the way of his brother's onslaught, but the attack had not been loosed as he expected.

'_Hmph, he plans to ram it into me. How amusing.' _As if Eclipse could divine the future, his brother lunged at him, just as he predicted. The ivory murderer easily dodged the energy-drenched fist of his brother, leaving Shadow overextended and vulnerable.

Taking advantage of this precious opportunity, Eclipse conjured a Chaos Sword in his hand, manipulating the energy and forming it into a blade-like shape that clung to his fist. Before Shadow could react, the silvery energy came down on him, nearly slicing him cleanly in half. He jumped back a moment too late to miss damage entirely, and a moment too soon to have been killed, the attack leaving a bloody laceration tearing down his face and chest, one that would undoubtedly leave a scar.

The dark hedgehog was shocked beyond words, almost like he was realizing for the first time that brothers typically don't try to kill each other. Reaching up to feel his dripping wound, he snarled in anger and leapt at his brother vicious canines bared. The two spheres of energy wielded by the brothers collided as the Cerberus and Griffon auras surrounding them warred, pressure building within the swirling orb at the center of the conflict.

"Give up, _little brother_?" Eclipse taunted through clenched teeth, as he pushed with all his might.

"Not until I stand over your defeated corpse," came Shadow's malignant reply, paraphrasing Eclipse's own words.

"I advise you don't hold your breath." Eclipse jumped back from the confrontation, leaving Shadow pushing against nothing. The dark hedgehog was so surprised by the use of such a simple and cowardly tactic that he fell face forward, his momentum carrying him down into the dust.

"After all, it's through you that I will gain eternal life," Eclipse snickered, while looming over Shadow imperiously. Shadow began to back up fearfully, knowing full well his brother's dark intentions.

Unbeknownst to Eclipse, after the short exchange of words between him and his brother, he had allowed the attack cradled in his palm to sizzle and die, leaving him as a perfect target. Shadow came to this realization, and suppressed a knowing smirk that seemed to be dying to escape.

Strengthening the aura of the Cerberus around him, the dark hedgehog began looking for a way to exploit this weakness. As much as he truly hated his brother, he knew that the one way to distract him was to inflate his ego.

"And why would someone as powerful as you need to live forever?" Shadow baited, while quietly observing his enemy.

"Eternity is the ultimate prize, which should only belong to those worthy of possessing it," Eclipse responded with a sigh, as though explaining it to a kindergartener.

"And who is worthy?" Shadow replied with a short, empty laugh that carried an undertone of hatred, his eyes burning in contempt.

"Me alone. Everyone else is inferior. I am perfect, I have no weakness." At this point Shadow stopped his face blank and expressionless, weighing Eclipse. He waited a moment, drew out the silence, and struck.

"You do. You've left yourself open to attack!" Shadow yelled with a victorious grin, unleashing the obsidian Chaos Spear he'd been saving all this time. The massive orb of black energy sizzled and threw off sparks of dark light in every direction, while traveling towards Eclipse at astonishing speed.

Reacting instantaneously, Eclipse allowed his instincts to take over rather than strategizing. A moment lost could be his death, and after all, his gut had never failed him yet. Before he realized his mistake, he activated his energy shield and stood his ground, to attempt to deflect the attack.

The sudden realization of his error shocked Eclipse, his eyes widening dramatically. The massively powerful Chaos Spear was now inches from impacting his shield and shattering it, it's dark energy lashing out like tentacles.

The silvery light of Eclipse's barrier was gone as the lethal attack roared towards its target. The ivory ultimate lifeform ducked to avoid the Chaos Spear, but it was too close. Eclipse released a blood-curdling scream as the attack struck his shoulder, tearing a massive chunk out of his flesh even from this minimal contact.

'_He must be nearly out of energy by now!' _Eclipse thought angrily as he clutched his wound, the corners of his eyes collecting unconscious tears. Yet, while his brother had been worrying about the energy projectile headed for him, Shadow had discreetly teleported behind his opponnent with Chaos Control, and now stood poised to finally attain his revenge.

So long he had waited for this moment, when his brother would stand before him, completely vulnerable, utterly defeated. His life's ambition was nearly fulfilled. Eclipse spun around to face his enemy, but it was already too late.

"Chaos..."

Eclipse only had time to gasp, his eyes widening before the word sealing his doom echoed over the rugged plains. "**Current!**"

A torrent of crimson and black energy left Shadow's open palms, coming down on the ivory hedgehog like a wave of pure destructive power. Before he could react, dodge, or even scream, the mighty attack was upon him.

The energy flooded over Eclipse, engulfing him entirely like the very water it was named after. The searing hot attack burned through his Griffon aura in an instant, and began to eat away at his flesh like volcanic lava.

A piercing, harrowing cry rang through the air as the Ark slayer was knocked to the ground by the sheer force of the attack. It was a scream like that of an animal, one that is hunted until it can run no longer, and knowing it is doomed, makes one final defiant yell to commemorate its death.

Shadow clenched his teeth and continued to draw power from the Dark Emerald and into the continuous flow of energy he was sending at Eclipse, the emerald throbbing harder than ever before within him.

The white hedgehog could feel his flesh being melted and burned away by the corrosive energy, and was powerless to stop it. The agonizing torment seemed to last an eternity, the hellish flood of darkness consuming him like an insatiable inferno.

Shadow was still not finished, his hatred and fury not satisfied. Gritting his teeth, he continued his attack using one hand, and gathered up all the energy he could muster into other.

'**You're not going to last, the emerald is taking over!'**__The Cerberus growled in a booming voice in Shadow's head. The avenging ultimate lifeform ignored the warning, he was too close now to pay any mind.

"Do you understand brother? Now do you know what I've suffered? Just like me, you will be devoured by darkness. **You will die**!" Shadow roared in a voice that was more vicious, more frightening even than his beast, perhaps than the voice of Havoc himself. Eclipse could only scream in agony, was unable to make any intelligent response amidst the torturous stream of energy that was decaying his flesh with each passing second.

Shadow felt his head beginning to throb, and spin violently, but ignored everything around him, and within him. His eyes were intent upon the writhing form of his brother gradually burning away into nothingness. Forcing the power of the Cerberus into the current, he unleashed one final deluge on Eclipse.

Shadow stared out, as the dust cleared, and the echo of his angry cry died down.

When the roaring flood of energy completely dissipated, what remained there lying on the ground hardly resembled Eclipse at all. His fur was completely singed, and no trace remained of his black cloak. The protective form of the Griffon had disappeared entirely, and his body was burned and scarred practically beyond recognition from head to toe. His mutilated, withered limbs lay completely still.

_You've stripped me down, _

_the layers fall like rain._

But Shadow wasn't fooled. He knew that if he did not finish it now, Eclipse would surely recover to fight him again. It was time to end it. Pouring every last drop of his energy into the crackling orb cradled in his hand, he stalked towards his charred brother.

_It's over now, just innocence, _

_and instinct still remain. _

"It is finished. Finally, my vengeance shall be complete," Shadow said momentously, as he loomed over the incapacitated Eclipse. His anger only increased when he saw the expression on his brother's maimed face, if it could still be called a face at all.

_You watched me while I slowly disappeared. _

_I reached for you to save me; you were frozen in your fear._

It was unmistakably a smile. Not a smirk, or an evil grin. His brother wasn't preparing to launch a counterattack, or defend himself, or even protest his death. Eclipse was smiling like the loving brother he had pretended to be all along, tearing another painful wound in Shadow's heart. Nothing his brother could have said or done would have been more terrible, it infuriated him beyond comprehension, this simple expression.

_Take it all away._

_Take it all away._

_Take it all away._

_Take it all away._

Drawing every last bit of power from the Dark Emerald and the Cerberus, he ignored his lightheadedness and fatigue, and plunged his fist into Eclipse's stomach, earning a sudden flood of crimson wetness.

_Circling the pain inside my soul._

_I reached inside your silence, to steal what won't show. _

The ivory hedgehog grunted in pain as his eyes widened and blood began to drip from his mouth. His head fell backwards to the earth with a soft thud, and he lay completely motionless, the rising and falling of his chest stopping abruptly.

_You tried to find the answers in your fears. _

_But what was found was lost again, as soon as it appeared._

Shadow was only able to revel in his success for a moment, as the exhaustion and energy depletion from the battle suddenly hit him like a brick wall. The Cerberus raged around him, trying desperately to keep the emerald in check. First, the demonic fangs and wings of the Chaos Form, and then the poisoned yellow and flaming black of the Dark Super Form faded into nothingness.

_Take it all away._

_Take it all away._

_Take it all away._

_Take it all away._

Pulling his fist out of the gaping hole in his brother's abdomen, Shadow dropped to his knees and breathed a long, weary sigh of exhausted accomplishment. He fell face first into the dust, his consciousness disappearing into a void of endless nothingness. And as he lay there beside his defeated brother, the swirling aura of the Cerberus faded gently out of existence.

On the victorious ultimate lifeform's arm, the sickly corruption of the Dark Emerald crept slowly towards his shoulder, crawling over his flesh like a plague.

_I'm breaking I can't do this on my own,_

_Can you hear me screaming out?_

_Am I all alone?_

_You take away,_

_you take away._

_You take away,_

_you take away._

_You take away,_

_you take away._

_You take away,_

_you take away._

_You take away,_

_you take away!_

Author's Notes:__Alright, it'll be a bit of a wait for Part 4, but I can assure you, it will be worth every second of it. Make sure and drop a review for Part 3 as a collective whole, and I'll see you in the fourth and final part of In the End. The song for Part 3, and particularly the Shadow Eclipse fight scene is "Take it All Away" by RED. It was Mystery001 approved. And it rocks. Go check it out.


	81. To the Top

**Chapter 81- To the Top**

A tremor shook the tower, and the party of heroes froze, praying silently that the structure wouldn't collapse. After a few seconds of shaking, the movement ceased, and the group breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Worry was apparent on their faces, they knew that the quake had likely been caused by Shadow and Eclipse. Rouge in particular bit her lip and looked at Sonic for some kind of reassurance. He simply stared back at her, his usual grin replaced by a worried frown. It occurred to Rouge that he was just as unsure as she was.

Without any exchange of words, the team continued their climb up the tower, dutifully plodding along with heavy steps. They had left the spacious, white rooms of the lower levels for a dimly lit corridor winding higher and higher, almost seeming to disappear within the expanse.

And Sarx was at the top.

Sonic led the way, with his self proclaimed girlfriend a step behind, a very shaken Rouge following her, and with the psychic hedgehog bringing up the rear.

Sarx had succeeded in stalling most of their team with his minions, and it would not be an easy fight if just the four of them faced him.

An eerie silence had settled over the group after their encounter with Shadow, and only the soft sound of their breathing could be heard echoing throughout the narrow passage.

With every step, Sonic felt the urge to turn back growing, like a parasitic infection in his mind, slowly devouring him, as he contemplated the outcome of Shadow and Eclipse's fight.

_'There's no telling what Shadow will do if he wins... He might join back up with us, or try to kill us,' _Sonic became lightheaded from the possibility of fighting Shadow again. _'But if his brother wins, he'll kill Shadow...'_

As if to reply to his speculative thoughts, a booming noise echoed from the base of the tower, and the building shook briefly. Amy squealed and nearly fell over, and Silver glared down at the source of the commotion as if his mental will could resolve the conflict.

_'What the hell is going on down there, it sounds like bombs going off!' _Sonic wondered as he looked back to ensure the safety of his companions.

"Why haven't the others met up with us?" Amy whimpered, voicing their concern and breaking the oppressive silence.

"They'll be fine. But there's no time to waste," Silver replied after regarding her quietly.

The pink hedgehog nodded, as the group resumed their quiet trek.

The staircase seemed to go on forever, climbing slowly up into abyssal darkness. This prolonged Rouge's inner turmoil as she thought back to Eclipse's mysterious words.

_Flashback_

_ Flicking her wrist at Amy and Silver, a motion which ordered them to follow her, she began walking away from Shadow, a piece of her heart shattering with each step she took. Eclipse may have been why Shadow trained for so long, but Shadow was the reason Rouge trained for so long and simply walking away from him when he was so close was killing her._

_ Reluctantly, Silver and Amy followed. Rouge held her breath as she passed the motionless Eclipse, sending him the most hateful glare she could come up with. The original ultimate life form simply stared at her and, parting his mouth, whispered a set of words that were so quiet only Rouge could hear them._

_ "Hold your head high Rouge, the future you desire will come."_

_ The bat's eyes widened, but she kept walking, ignoring the hedgehog's cryptic words and his blank stare. Amy and Silver were hot on her heels, and when they finally reached Sonic, all four heroes hesitated for a moment before opening the door that led to the roof of the tower and heading though it, Sonic the last one._

_End flashback_

What Shadow's murderous brother could have possibly meant by that she did not know, but this combined with the agony of knowing that Shadow could be dying at that very moment were gnawing at her insides like a blood-thirsty beast. Sonic seemed to sense what was troubling her, and gave her a half smile to try to say that everything would be okay.

Drawing them out of their musings, at last they came to an enormous door. It was a gargantuan door that towered above Sonic like an ominous steel giant, blocking their path with its tremendous bulk.

"How are we supposed to break_ that_ down?" Just as Silver said, the door looked extremely solid. Bolted into the left hand wall, the great metal obstacle appeared to have no handle, lock, hinge, or mechanism of any kind which would serve to open it, the only thing distinguishing it as a door the fact that it was composed of a different material than the walls.

To put the cherry on top of the sundae, it was encased in some kind of faintly glowing yellow energy shield, as if simply building a thirty foot tall doorway weren't good enough.

"Maybe you could try lifting it?" Amy asked Silver, who looked rather unconfident in his ability to move such a heavy object.

Nevertheless he concentrated on the door; clenching his fists in effort. A translucent green light began to spread over the door, but after only a second, it faltered, and shrank back from the protective shield.

"The shield protects it from your energy," Rouge noted distantly, as if seeing it but not mentally processing it, before looking to Sonic for leadership.  
The cerulean speed demon frowned in frustration, and stared the great door down, as if he could move it by glaring it at long enough. When this yielded no results, he slowly, almost ceremoniously approached the obstacle to examine it.

To their surprise, the energy shield retreated at Sonic's touch, allowing him to place his hand on the cool metallic surface. He pushed against it, straining with all his might, and despite looking as if it weighed several tons, the door ground slightly open. It was only a fraction of an inch, not even quite a millimeter, but it slid open nonetheless.

"If we all push together, we can move it," Sonic announced, as the others moved to join him.

Each of the four heroes fell into place along the steel door, forming a line along it. At the far left stood Silver, next to him was Rouge, next to her was Amy, and on the far right was Sonic.They all pushed together, joining their strength, straining as one whole and surely enough, the great door slowly swung inwards, causing the energy barrier to part harmlessly like a curtain, allowing them entry.

No sooner had they stepped into the room beyond than they were trapped. The seemingly harmless energy suddenly flashed, pulsed, and changed to form a solid wall behind them, cutting them off from escape. Rouge gasped in surprise as their way out was sealed, leaving them only one direction to go.

Up.

Sonic said nothing about this mysterious development, almost as if he expected it, but reluctantly led the way, motioning for them to follow. The next door they came to was nothing more than an open threshold, welcoming them inward like a gaping set of jaws awaiting awaiting their flesh. They all inhaled sharply before taking the plunge, not knowing what awaited them beyond the opening.

When they came into Sarx's chamber, they were all somewhat surprised at what they found. The room was large, and well lit, but also relatively full, not like the empty white rooms of the lower tower.

Lining one of the walls were countless bookshelves, all with thick, dusty tomes stacking upwards, some of which were worn from repeated use, and others which looked as if they'd never been read; even encased in shrink-wrap. In one corner of the room, a small, classic fireplace crackled with an almost Christmassy mirth, a strange contrast to their oppressive gloom.

Near the fireplace was a satin velvet, high backed armchair, which was facing away from them almost like it thought them repulsive and wished to for them to go away, and was ignoring them. In the center of the room, elevated on a raised platform, were the seven goblets which had been stolen from them.

Several of the flames had already been lit, burning despite the fact that their respective incarnation was not present. The white light of the Griffon's flame was already alight, and in contrast, the dark beacon of the Cerberus was aflame, a writhing shadow. The almost natural crimson embers of the Phoenix's light were already burning, but the remaining goblets were dead, empty.

There was no sign of Sarx anywhere. The four heroes looked at the room in disbelief, knowing that by all accounts the wolf could be nowhere else, but not seeing him.

"Maybe he didn't want to fight us?" Amy wondered, while Sonic shook his head slowly, eyes still darting back and forth.

"Coward," Silver agreed, while moving forward to claim the goblets. No sooner than he had come within reach of one of the goblets than a voice echoed through the room, causing him to freeze in place, expecting attack at any moment.

"Now that's not very nice. You should have more respect," Sarx's voice rang, but still they could not see him anywhere.

"Show yourself, you can't hide forever!" Sonic defiantly replied. There was a moment of silence where nobody moved, and then Sarx rose out of the high backed armchair like a demon emerging from hell, his ebony robe billowing and flowing behind him like it had a life of its own.

"I was under your noses the whole time. You were simply too unobservant to find me," Sarx replied levelly, while surveying his prey. His brow furrowed slightly, as if he were frustrated by something, and he began to say something, but then changed his mind. His mouth opened a second time. "I was expecting more of you... Perhaps this will not be as difficult as I thought."

"A bit overconfident, don't you think?" Rouge shot back, while glaring at Sarx with as much ferocity as she could muster.

"Young lady, you're telling me about overconfidence?" Sarx chuckled, while drawing and admiring his sword.

"What do you mean?" she replied icily, while her eyes narrowed in anger. Sarx stepped closer, but in a fashion which was obviously not threatening, he merely wished to look Rouge in the eye.

"I simply meant that perhaps you should worry more about the overconfidence of your black and red 'friend', my dear." Sonic growled in rage and pointed a finger at Sarx, his voice booming like thunder.

"I'll take care of him as soon as I'm done with you!" the cerulean hero bellowed, his voice beginning to show hints of the Chimera within him. Sarx seemed unimpressed, but remained polite nonetheless.

"Really? Too bad things won't turn out that way. Thanks to you and him, the Titan Beast will be summoned. You have completed my plan. And escape is blocked off."

"What does that have to do with Shadow?" Silver snarled, his fists clenching. Sarx stared at him blankly for a moment, as if wondering how the question could even be asked. Then he made his slow reply, his poise disrupted.

"It has everything to do with- ...Wait, you mean to tell me... You don't know do you?" Sarx smiled wickedly, while gesturing to the goblet which cradled the obsidian flame. "Your former ally Shadow houses the beast of darkness, the Cerberus. And I already have his flame alit. I have no further use for him."

The others gasped at this revelation, and Sonic was mentally cursing his rotten luck. _'So if Sarx succeeds in releasing the beast, we'll have to work together with Shadow to beat it. That'll be just grand.' _He thought sarcastically.

Sarx took a moment to admire the stolen grails, before looking back at the shocked group of heroes. He chuckled slightly, before cocking his head to the side.

"But Eclipse will take care of that problem. As for you, it seems I'll have to suffice," Sarx smirked, as Sonic felt his anger bubble over dangerously. He was about to charge at Sarx, and unleash his fury upon the wolf, when Amy placed her hand upon his shoulder the very moment before he attacked, a silent statement to control his temper. This however, did not stop him from making a cocky reply.

"Shadow will kick his ass!" Sonic roared. However, Sarx seemed amused by his fury. The wolf shook his head slowly, and released a long sigh. He began to move closer, and the heroes all took up a defensive stance. The tower rumbled again from Shadow and Eclipse's battle, and Sarx nodded in acknowledgment of it.

"It seems as thought they're battling quite ferociously. It should be over soon though. For now, we have our own business to attend to." The ivory wolf drew back his hood and let his cloak flutter to the ground, revealing his toned form.

"Namely, making sure you do not ruin this planet's future," Silver growled. Sarx gestured up at the raised platform which housed the goblets, his fingers curving slightly.

"If only you knew the ramifications of your actions..." he mused almost sadly. "My intention is nothing other than the betterment of this world. For too long, the people of Earth have suffered under corruption, war, and hatred. I intend to unify the entire planet by demolishing the current social order, and rebuilding a utopian society on the ashes of civilization. I intend to rule over a perfect world. The future belongs to me."

"You're crazy!" Sonic said in disbelief at Sarx's speech.

"Think what you will. If knew what was best, you would be on our side, the winning side." He pointed his sword at Sonic, and the hedgehog prepared to charge him. "You know practically nothing about us and yet you fight us. Your prejudice is the very thing I strive against."

"I'm not interested in your whacked out ideas. I've heard more than enough." Amy said with a tinge of anger, while also preparing to fight the would-be conqueror. Sarx ignored her remark, continuing his icily polite taunt.

"Three incarnations and one rather useless female. I was hoping for more of a challenge, but I suppose this is the best I'll get." Sarx said while advancing towards them.

"Do I detect a hint of sexism Mr. Anti-Prejudice?" Rouge responded coyly.

"You hear what you wish to hear. I would be the last person to disrespect a lady. But alas my dear, the time for words has passed. Now it is time for action." The ivory wolf paused a moment, staring at them in what almost appeared to be appreciation. The next second, Sarx rushed at them, blade prepared to deliver a blow.

The four friends prepared for the fight, upon which the fate of the world depended. The aggressor, a single enemy, bent upon conquest and destruction, the defender, the last bastion of hope for all that was good and pure.

All that Sarx had been planning was about to be fulfilled.


	82. Death to the Reviver

**Chapter 82- Death to the Reviver**

Sarx lunged forwards, his ivory sword glimmering. Rouge dived out of the way of his thrust, cursing that she hadn't seen his attack directed at her sooner. Sonic dove at the maniacal wolf, fist drawn back with the intention of crushing bone.

Sarx spun around, smacking Sonic's cheek with the flat side of his sword, the blow being more of an insult than an attempt to harm him. Silver attempted to grab hold of Sarx using his psychic powers, but found that his energy was refusing to cooperate.

"Remember that yellow shield a bit back? I set that up especially for you, Wyvern. It negates all of your psychic powers. Now you should be as useless as the pink one, easy prey," Sarx chuckled as he fended off a kick from Rouge, and brought his sword down on Silver, who barely had time to dodge to the side to avoid being shredded.

The tower rumbled again, and Sarx hardly kept his balance from the force of the tremor, but the heroes were caught as well, and couldn't take advantage of his preoccupied state. Amy brandished her staff as soon as it ended, enraged at being called useless, and charged at Sarx.

"Amy!" Sonic yelled, not wanting her to fight such a powerful enemy. Sarx crossed blades with Amy, her staff pressing against his sword. Rouge and Sonic attacked Sarx simultaneously, but he parried each blow, remaining unscathed despite all their attacks with his expert swordsmanship.

"Amy, you need to be more careful!" Sonic insisted, while glaring at Sarx.

"I'm fine, I can handle myself," she responded angrily, while punching Sonic in the shoulder.

Sarx interrupted their argument by swiping at Sonic, who jumped into the air to come down with a brutal axe kick. The ivory wolf pointed his sword upwards, protecting himself from Sonic's attack, while gathering a shimmering bolt of energy in his free hand.

Silver was infuriated at being negated, and surged forward, fist drawn back to support Sonic. Sarx unleashed his energy attack at Silver, nearly skewering the hedgehog, while slicing a gash into Sonic's cheek.

Before they could stop him, the wolf turned and made a b-line for the goblets, Sonic's blood dripping off his sword like crimson rain falling in a lazy, sporadic rhythm.

They all spent a moment in stupefaction, wondering what their enemy was doing, if he was more insane than any of them had guessed. Suddenly, Rouge remembered what Tikal had told them.

_Flashback_

_Crafting seven goblets, one for each of the seven beasts, the gods placed them in the hands of their most faithful followers on Earth at the time; the echidnas._

_The goblets were used to test an individual at the time of release, to see if they had the spirit of one of the seven beasts residing within them, to see if they were incarnations. Not so much as a hair of the individual was needed to determine if a beast resided within them._

_The Titan God, enraged by the actions of the seven beasts and the rest of the gods, used the seven goblets to his advantage._

_Writing the exact texts used to summon the three Titan Beasts; the god cast them down onto the planet, in hope that the blood of evil would corrupt the seven goblets and set his monsters free. The goblets were shaped into the physical catalyst to release the three beasts._

_Due to the fact that they were crafted for peace and good, not for the awakening of monsters however, only one Titan Beast could be released at a time when all goblets were lit and corrupted by evil. When a beast was released, the seven goblets would extinguish their mystical flamed, unable to be illuminated again for the rise and fall of a hundred suns and a hundred moons._

_End Flashback_

Realizing a moment too late that the ivory wolf's plans involved the flaming goblets, Rouge shouted, running to try to beat Sarx to them. The ivory wolf leapt into the air, flying over the goblets and dropping Sonic's blood into one of the cups. In response, a golden flame clawed upwards from the cup. Rouge tackled Sarx the moment afterwards, pressing him into the far wall as the golden flame sparked with the other three.

An insidious smile was on the face of the reviver as he pushed Rouge off of him, and pointed his stained blade at her trachea.

"What were you intending to do after you tackled me to the ground my dear? _Coerce_ me into coming peacefully? With you unarmed and myself quite prepared?" Sarx said politely, despite the suggestive undertone he'd given the word 'coerce', and the fact that his sword was pressed against the tender flesh of her neck.  
"I am never unarmed," she snarled in response, as her eyes glowed with the light of the Basilisk.

"Ah yes, thank you for reminding me. I had almost forgotten that you housed the Basilisk, even after you nearly drilled me into the ground," he smiled as he nodded curtly. A moment of silence passed, where he stared at her, a slight smile upon his face and she wondered what he was doing.

He then punched her in the head, sending her reeling. Sonic rushed forward the moment his sword was no longer resting on her throat, his fist smashing into Sarx's shoulder faster than lightning.

The wolf retreated, hissing with pain as he clutched his throbbing shoulder. Rouge was now angrier than ever, and all four heroes grouped together and glared him down.

"Ah. Good blow, any harder and you'd have disabled my sword arm. And that would have been a terrible shame, now wouldn't it?" Sarx grumbled, while glancing around for any possible advantage to exploit.

"Next time, I'll aim for your heart!" Sonic roared, suddenly extremely protective of Rouge, possibly due to their recent meeting with Shadow. Perhaps he felt that she was his last remaining link to his old friend. Or perhaps he felt he was in some way, saving her for him. Whatever the case, somewhere in his mind, Sonic rationalized that he had to protect Rouge for Shadow.

"The fact that you didn't do that the first time demonstrates your weakness," Sarx smirked, as he began advancing slowly.

"Mercy and respect for life are not weaknesses." Rouge replied with a vicious glare.

"Strength lies in brutality, if you allow your enemy to continue to exist, they will continue to be your enemy. Send them to their grave... and they trouble you no more," He said as he stared them down.

"You don't even respect the lives of your 'friends'. What will you do with Kakos when you have no more use for him? What about Eclipse? Is he just a pawn to you too?" Sarx was not moved.

"You make the mistake of assuming that I am the King in this little game of chess. You also talk as if you care for Eclipse. In reality, you would celebrate if he were defeated, am I right?"

"But _you_ should at least care about him! He's your follower!" Rouge said in disbelief at Sarx's response. Sarx sighed as if they were a bunch of ignorant little children that needed a lesson in spelling, and pointed his sword at them.

"As much as I wish it were otherwise, he is doubtless planning to eventually betray me anyway. Would you care to fight me, or lecture me about sentimentality?" He asked genuinely, no sarcasm in his voice. "It's no wonder Shadow abandoned you. You're positively helpless." All four heroes seethed in rage and rushed at Sarx, as the ivory wolf smiled. Things were going exactly as he planned.

-

The base was quiet as a graveyard now that Eclipse and Shadow's fight had concluded, and the silence on the lower levels was eerie. Chaos and Tails silently made their way up and through the base, hoping to catch up to the others before it was too late. When Chaos had found him, the young fox had been a bit shaken by the fact that he had actually killed someone, and he'd been quiet ever since.

Not that the god was complaining, it was just that usually, the fox was much more excitable that this.

They passed into the room that had been filled with water, and found Algos laying in a shallow puddle, with cuts and bruises covering his form. The room itself was damaged as well, gashes in the walls and cracks running down the flooring.

"What the hell?" Chaos wondered aloud, as Tails turned to look at their fallen friend.

"It looks like a pretty intense battle took place here. We can't wait for Algos to wake up, and if we take him with us, he'll be dead weight..." Tails pondered, as his inadvertent use of the word 'dead' send a shiver up his spine.

"I'll pick him up on the way out when I grab Valor's body." Chaos stated a matter-a-factly, as if it wasn't strange at all to treat corpses and coma induced friends like errands, parcels to be picked up and dropped off. This once again reminded Tails of his own killing, and drove the color from his face.

As if sensing his inner turmoil, Chaos motioned for him to follow, and spoke a reassurance as they continued on.

"I told you once Short stuff, it was you or him. You'll get over it," were the immortal being's words of wisdom. The fox nodded, but his pallor remained. Leaving his musings for a moment, he looked at their surroundings in awe. The tower just seemed to go up and up.

They came into a marble room, where dust and chunks of scorched rock littered the floor. The room felt as hot as an inferno, as if the thermostat had been turned up to two hundred degrees. Peering through a gaping hole that had been smashed in the wall, they saw their cat ally examining burn marks and cracked stone everywhere.

"Blaze, you got separated too!" Tails exclaimed. Chaos examined the room, and wiped off his forehead, before giving a low whistle, as if to signify he was impressed.

"You did this? Not bad!"

"This is not my doing," she pondered, while coming to join them in the original room. "I can only guess that Knuckles harnessed the powers of the Phoenix."

"Incredible..." Tails muttered in awe. The rooms were truly destroyed beyond all recognition, scorched and shattered to tiny pieces from Kakos' and Knuckles' battle.

"Yeah well, there ain't no time to admire it, we gotta _burn _ass up to Sarx," Chaos reminded them, as he motioned for the door.

"Do you really think you're funny?" Blaze asked sarcastically, earning a raised eyebrow from the god, but no vocal reply. After a moment's silence, she informed them of the situation to her knowledge. "I left Tikal a ways back to heal a major wound, and I assume she won't be able to help. If Knuckles got delayed here, then that means..."

"That only Sonic, Amy, Rouge, and Silver actually got to Sarx!" Tails exclaimed in worry. The air became quiet as they rushed up the stairway.

"That is, if they got past the resident psychopathic white hedgehog." Chaos said quietly, but they all started at his mention of the murderous hedgehog.

"Eclipse is here?" Tails said anxiously. He remembered all too well the fearsome hedgehog's assaults on Angel Island, and equally well Shadow's vengeful hatred of him.

"I can sense it. I'm under the assumption that _that _was the rumbling we felt before." The moment these words left the sky blue echidna's lips, the heroes came out into the room where Eclipse had originally sat.

It was barely recognizable. His chair had been blown to smithereens by Sonic, and the room was literally torn to pieces by the fight with Shadow. A gaping hole was blown into one end of the room, and scorched, shattered patches where energy projectiles had struck covered the walls. The hole in the wall was completely open, allowing a draft into the room, and a clear view of the sandy exterior. They all stopped in shock and stared at the room.

Knuckles was standing in the center of the room and looking around at various bits of battle damage and scars the room had undergone, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"What happened here Knuckles?" Tails asked, worried that perhaps the others had been hurt. The red echidna paused a moment, and turned to face him.

"I'm not sure," he said slowly, as if he knew, but wouldn't say. Chaos walked over the massive hole in the wall and peered down below. For some reason, what he saw caused him to flinch, as if it were a terrible sight to behold. Blaze hung her head in silence, already guessing what had happened.

"What is it?" Tails asked, as he approached the edge.

"Don't look Tails!" Knuckles yelled, but it was too late. The young fox's mouth hung open in shock as he gazed upon the scene below. There, amidst the dust lay the prostate form of Shadow, nothing but a black body sprawled hundreds of feet below. Next to him was his murderous brother, who lay face up. Crimson wetness stained patches of sand, and from the distant observation, it appeared that both of them were dead.

Blaze stepped up and examined the battle scene as well, having the same reaction as Chaos.

"They must've both fallen to their deaths while they were fighting," she commented in a solemn voice. Tails' eyes were as wide as saucers upon seeing his supposedly dead friend, and he felt as if he would vomit.

"_Sonic's_ isn't here. So they must've moved on." Knuckles omitted the word corpse, but they all knew what he was referring to. He said this at Tails' dismay, in some way to comfort him, and in another, to urge him that they also, needed to move on.

The yellow vulpine swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, fighting to hold back tears.

"Maybe he shouldn't fight Sarx anyways Knuckles," Blaze remarked, seeing how shaken he was. Tails spun around angrily, eyes shooting daggers at Blaze.

"I'm not just going to stand here, while that deranged madman tries to kill Sonic! I may not have fire powers like you, but I can at least be there to support Sonic!" he shouted, shocking Blaze with the intensity of his rage. She wasn't offended or angry, it simply caught her off guard that Tails could react so explosively, so passionately.

"He can come. You all go ahead. I'll catch up." Chaos said in an uncharacteristically quiet fashion. His solemnity convinced the others to comply without protest, and they began to make their way up the stairs that led to Sarx's chamber, leaving Chaos behind.

The sky blue echidna frowned, staring down at the battered forms far below. He lingered there for a moment, but when nothing happened, turned away. Apparently, he sensed something, because no sooner had he turned away than he whipped back around. He stood there in shock, staring at the battlefield below him.

"It's not possible..." he muttered, his eyes wide in disbelief. "It can't be!" But as much as he argued to himself that it wasn't physically possible, there it was, laid out before him.

He had felt the spike in Chaos Energy when Shadow had used the Chaos Current, and knew very well that nothing could have survived that and had enough strength to endure whatever attack Shadow used after that. But regardless of this undeniable fact, that Eclipse _had _to be dead, the spot where his body had rested not a minute earlier was now empty, nothing but a scarlet bloodstain remaining.

With this chilling knowledge, Chaos turned and followed his friends up the stairs.


	83. Sarx's Ultimate Technique

**Chapter 83- Sarx's Ultimate Technique**

Sarx smirked at the onslaught that was coming right for him, as if he were invincible. Sonic and Silver, Rouge and Amy were all enraged by his remarks, and were blindly rushing at him, just as he intended. As soon as Rouge came within reach, he swiped his sword at her, barely missing tearing a gash down her chest, causing her eyes to wide momentarily in fear.

Sonic's kick met with nothing but air as the ivory wolf slid to the right, his own fist thudding into the back of Sonic's head, sending the hero stumbling forward. Easily warding off Silver now that the hedgehog had no psychic powers, he defended against a staff blow from Amy, repelling yet another attack, unscathed amidst their assault.

Sonic's confusion allowed Sarx to get a free attack on him, and the wolf smirked as he tore off a clump of the cerulean hero's quills. Sonic yelped in pain, whirling around faster than a blink to stare at Sarx in anger and confusion.

"My flame's already lit you son of a bitch! Why'd you have to do that?" he complained, as he rubbed the spot which was now more or less bare. Sarx gave no answer, instead taking advantage of the fact that the heroes were separated. He attacked the vulnerable Silver, who had nothing to fight with but his minimal wind affinity and his own physical strength.

And in repeated tests, the effectiveness of physical strength against swords has not been demonstrated to be high.

Silver could only defend himself, as the wolf had a longer reach due to his sword, and could easily stop any blow Silver sent his way long before it hit him. Amy came over to help Silver, but a vicious series of strikes to her staff caused her to weave out of the way as well. Sonic rushed over, but too late.

Sarx barely scraped Silver's leg, but it was enough to draw blood. Sonic extended a fist, a thunderous war cry escaping his lips as attempting to do what he failed to do earlier: disable Sarx's sword arm.

Just as he intended, the blow thudded into Sarx with surprising power, and the sickening crunching of bone could be heard. The silver wolf snarled in pain and cursed, but after a couple seconds of grumbling, did something that shocked them all.

He simply grabbed the sword with his left hand, kicking Sonic in the face even as he switched hands!

"Too bad for you I'm ambidextrous," he said amidst the pain, as he made his rush for the goblets while they were all still shocked. They reacted too late, as he had already lit the grassy green flame of the Wyvern by the time they attacked.

Sonic responded by furiously assaulting Sarx, but just as he had said, he was at least almost as proficient with his left hand as his right. In all likelihood, the hands were equally useful, and he had simply trained with the right one more.

"Silver, Amy, protect Rouge!" Sonic yelled as blow after blow was blocked by the blunt side of Sarx's blade. Sarx's katana was surprisingly hard, and nothing he threw at it even dented the metal.

The ivory wolf summoned a searing bolt of energy to his hand, and pointed it at the near defenseless Silver. The white hedgehog was forced to leap to the side as the sizzling bolt made contact with the wall as fast as lightning, throwing tiny chunks of rock in every direction.

Literally shoving Sonic aside, Sarx came at Rouge, a homicidal twinkle in his eye. Rouge desperately tried to summon her incarnation, but with dismay found that it would not come to her.

**'Not with Nova so close to being summoned. You'll need all my strength if that happens!' **her beast scolded, despite the fact that her death was seemingly impending. At that moment however, four more figures burst into the room, one of which instantly launched a projectile at Sarx.

The wolf stopped his assault and dodged the electrified bolt, his momentum lost. Sonic nearly jumped for joy at the sight he saw, breathing a sigh of relief as if their salvation had just come.

In the doorway were Knuckles, Blaze, Chaos, and Tails, all looking as angry as hornets, and ready to fight. However, they did not seem as glad to see him as he was to see them, especially Tails. The blue hero was relieved beyond words that his little brother was alright, but the young fox seemed intensely troubled.

"What's wrong guys?" he asked in confusion.

"I'll tell you later. Right now, we've got some ass to whoop!" Chaos glared at Sarx, who only smiled in reply.

"There's no way you're strong enough to take us all on!" Knuckles exclaimed as he birthed a crackling Thunder Arrow to life within his palm. Sarx now openly laughed, a deranged cackle escaping his open mouth and causing Sonic to wonder if perhaps he truly was insane.

"Ah, but you haven't even seen a fraction of my full power yet. I have the ability to take on the combined strength of all the people I've revived before." Sarx grinned insidiously, apparently not aware of how ludicrous this sounded.

"That's... that's," Tails muttered, while staring at him wide eyed.

"Highly improbable? Yes, but not impossible. Now, witness my true strength!" Sarx's eyes glowed with a vibrant light, and he rose up into the air, like a priest about the receive the divine power of his god. "You've already defeated Devil Doom and Kakos, but can you stand against their strength combined with mine?"

Sonic rushed at Sarx to call his bluff, but to his surprise, the wolf sent a jet of flames roaring from his mouth, barely giving the azure hero time to sidestep before he was roasted. All of them came at him simultaneously, but the wolf stood his ground. At the same time as he was fending off Amy's staff with his sword, he had covered his shoulder in rock armor a second before Knuckles' fist contacted it, sending a tearing pain rushing up the echidna's arm.

Another inferno leapt from his jaws, nearly consuming Silver, and even singing some of his fur. The next second, Knuckles felt the pain of a rock covered kick to the gut, sending blood spraying out of his mouth.

Even Chaos was forced to dodge one of Doom's energy boomerang attacks. Knuckles unleashed his stored up Thunder Arrow, but Sarx blocked the attack with his sword. Reaching out, the ivory wolf grabbed onto Rouge, causing her to angrily slap his hand away.

"Watch it you perv!" she yelled as she attempted to deliver him a kick to the groin. He was too fast, dodging her kick, and quickly sliced into her arm. She screamed in pain, causing the other heroes to attack Sarx with a violent ferocity.  
Blaze was unaffected by his fire, but wasn't quite so fond of sword wounds, so steered clear of his lightning fast steel. Silver was struck in the head hard with a rock encased fist, throwing him back against a wall as a sickly crunch filled the air.

Sarx leapt over the charging Chaos, igniting the blue flame of the Basilisk and leaving only one unlit. Tails fired off an energy bolt from a pistol he had whipped out just in time, but Sarx dodged this relatively easily. This left him open to attack however, and Sonic took the opportunity.

The azure hero drew back his fist to attack, but his wounded shoulder picked exactly the wrong time to act up. Squinting in pain, he did not loose his fist on Sarx, allowing the super-powered wolf to bat him away with a column of rock.

Silver remained there, slumped against a wall, surely alive, but also not moving. Knuckles yelled a battle cry and landed a blow against Sarx, managing to strike him in the arm Sonic had disabled.

"Tough luck. Thanks to your friend, I can't feel a thing in that arm," Sarx said with a smirk before breathing a torrent of flames at the echidna. Blaze intervened, and wrestled with Sarx for control of the fire. They went back and forth, until frustrated, Sarx simply stopped breathing fire, and sent a tremor through the ground, hoping to catch her off her guard.

It would have worked if Sonic hadn't jumped at her and carried them both in mid air over the unnatural lump of rock Sarx had created, his attack doing no more than throwing some dust onto their bodies.

Tails frowned as he watched the fight, occasionally firing off a shot when he could get Sarx cleanly in his sights. All of them should have been able to defeat him easily. He was so close to victory, and they had no choice but to defeat him here and now.

Why were they having such difficulty against him? After all, Chaos had defeated Doom, and Knuckles had beaten Kakos in a display of the power of the Phoenix.

As if in answer to his question, Rouge was thrown back from the chaotic brawl, knocked away by a sweeping blow with Sarx's newfound ability to control rock. She looked at Tails and smiled, as blood began to trickle out of her mouth.

"Rouge!" he said as he knelt down next to her. She coughed, and gazed at the flaming goblets.

"I'll be fine. Just don't let him light..." the ivory huntress fainted, leaving her sentence unfinished, but communicating with the young fox nonetheless. The rest were too busy fighting Sarx to even notice, as the battle became frantic. All of them tried desperately to get blows in on the wolf, but he had taken up a defensive strategy, warding off each successive attack and doing damage in the mean time.

Knuckles had just used the Phoenix, and even thought Sonic hadn't tapped into the Chimera recently, he had used the Super Form against Eclipse, and so his beast refused him with the same justification that Rouge had received. It was simply too likely that Nova would be unleashed.

If all of them had been in their First Stages, it would've been another story. But as it was, they were certainly at least equally matched in Sarx.

"Your crony has fallen Sarx. Whatever plans you had for Eclipse are over," Blaze snarled in an attempt to dishearten their enemy. The wolf didn't seem to notice, or perhaps didn't even hear her.

"So Shadow won?" Sonic asked in expectation, almost seeing him burst through the wall and deliver the killing blow to Sarx at any moment.

"Not exactly..." Chaos muttered, while dodging a stream of flames.

Sarx smirked while sending an earthquake out in every direction, launching the heroes closest to him in the air. Knuckles and Chaos were launched into the air like rag dolls, as Sonic, Amy, and Blaze leapt backwards. With an earth shattering punch, Sarx knocked Knuckles into the wall, causing it to crack with the force of the contact. He followed this by hurling his sword at the echidna, who saw the blade coming wide widened eyes, and desperately tried to move to the right in order to avoid the attack.

But not quickly enough. The white steel blade sliced into the echidna's arm, penetrating all the way through, and driving into the wall behind him like a gigantic nail. The crimson guardian screamed in pain, much to the satisfaction of Sarx.

With the last of his blind fury Knuckles attempted to pull the sword out of his arm, the steel biting into his hand, but was stopped by Sonic.

"You're done. We can take Sarx, you just worry about not dying," he said. The echidna coughed up blood and shook his head angrily.

"I can't... we can't let him summon..." Knuckles gasped as he clawed at the sword in his arm. Sonic nodded as he turned from his collapsed friend, to see Blaze, Tails, and Amy fighting Sarx.

Blaze was unaffected by his fire power, but his ability to control rock was getting quite annoying. Sonic surged forward, determination on his face as he swore to end it here and now, to put everything he had on the table.

Pushing thoughts of Shadow's "not exactly" victory out of his mind, he came at Sarx like a lightning fast, bright blue cannonball, a blazing Shining Lance crackling and screaming within his fist.

The wolf sent powerful jet of flames at him, but he managed to roll to the left and continue his head-on charge with an empty, hollow look in his eyes. Blaze came at the reviver from the other direction, flames leaping off her body and towards the wolf overlord like tongues of scarlet light. Chaos bounded forward, fists clenched and prepared to deliver a pair of earth shattering blows.

Sarx responded by blocking Blaze's flaming projectiles using a shield made of rock, while sending Sonic reeling with a vicious left hook, causing blood to spray out of his mouth. Chaos managed to get in a hit, smashing into the wolf's ribcage like dual freight trains, earning a howl of pain and a rocky fist in reply.

Meanwhile, Knuckles had managed to pull the sword out of himself, but found that the only thing he could do was try to regain his strength and watch for the moment, much to his disappointment and rage.

Tails was attending to Rouge's wounds, and Silver seemed to be fine, but disabled. Exactly what Sarx wanted. And then it hit Knuckles like a brick wall. Sarx didn't want to, no _couldn't_ kill any of the incarnations.

_'The incarnations are the only thing capable of stopping the Titan Beasts. He needs us all alive in case he loses control of Nova... he's bluffing, he can't kill us!' _Suddenly, the whole fight made sense. Sarx had been fending them off, gathering their blood and hair strands with attacks that couldn't possibly kill them, and then knocking them unconscious, remaining on the defensive. With his current level of power, he could have easily killed at least one of them. But he didn't.

With this knowledge, the crimson echidna stood to his feet, and rushed forward. Just as he predicted, Sarx blocked all his attacks, and made minor blows in reply, but never used any of the aggressive offensive techniques that Kakos displayed.

"It's over Sarx. You can't win," Knuckles smirked, despite his severe wound.

The wolf laughed in reply, his eyes flashing in arrogance. "I am invincible. Even the fabled god of destruction cannot best me. Your disillusioned sense of teamwork will not pull you through this time," he bellowed, as the other heroes looked at Knuckles in confusion and concern.

"I figured it out, asshole. You're bluffing; you can't kill us. Because if you lose control of Nova, you'll need the incarnations to defeat it. You're just stalling for time until you can light the last flame," Knuckles revealed, causing Amy to gasp in surprise.

"You're smarter than I thought. And now that you know, I suppose it won't be quite so easy. But there's one thing you haven't considered," Sarx drawled, while covering his body in rock armor.

Sonic growled as he prepared a Shining Lance in his hand, aiming it at Sarx's throat.

"As for those of you who aren't incarnations... you are completely disposable!" as he said this, Sarx surged forward, the floor cracking where his stone encased feet struck it. Sonic released his attack, but the projectile was deflected with a swat of the rock encased wolf's hand like a pesky fly.

Knuckles barreled into Sarx at this revelation, striking the wolf hard with his one good arm. A clump of shattered rock flew off, but was soon replaced by new stone, which circled around Knuckles' hand, leaving him hanging helplessly from Sarx's now mammoth form.

Then, the diabolical wolf looked directly at Chaos, his eyes gleaming with intent.

And all hell broke loose.


	84. Shattered Rose

**Chapter 84- Shattered Rose**

Chaos sped forward, his powerful muscles flexing underneath his skin, a determined frown creasing his lips. Sonic was worried, usually the echidna had a level of cockiness to match even his own, turning the most grim of situations into a lighthearted affair.

But now he was quiet, neither bragging nor complaining, as if he was deep in thought. Sonic knew that he couldn't be distracted now, not when he had to protect Tails, Chaos, and Amy. But try as he might, the echidna's quiet nature brought him back to his earlier, cryptic remarks.

_Flashback_

_ "Your crony has fallen Sarx. Whatever plans you had for Eclipse are over," Blaze snarled in an attempt to dishearten their enemy. The wolf didn't seem to notice, or perhaps didn't even hear her._

_ "So Shadow won?" Sonic asked in expectation, almost seeing him burst through the wall and deliver the killing blow to Sarx at any moment. _

_ "Not exactly..." Chaos muttered, while dodging a stream of flames. _

_End Flashback_

What could Chaos have meant by that "not exactly?" Did he mean that Shadow had lost? But Blaze had said just before that: Eclipse was done for. So that meant that Shadow had won. Sonic just couldn't rationalize it, if Eclipse was defeated, how could Shadow not be completely victorious... unless...

_'Someone else killed Eclipse! That's it!' _Sonic thought, while almost getting fried by one of Sarx's flame jets. _'I'm so smart.' _Having resolved the turmoil inside himself to his satisfaction, Sonic backed up Chaos, lunging at the wolf as if it was completely normal to resolve an internal monologue and then continue fighting.

"Decided to pull your own weight?" Knuckles asked at his fist met with a rock barrier.

"At least I didn't get pinned to the wall," he remarked with a smirk as he shattered the protective shield with a Shining Lance. Knuckles drove deeper, knowing now that Sarx couldn't afford to kill him, especially with the holders of both the Griffon and the Cerberus dead, or at least so he thought.

Sarx reached down and coiled a stone encased fist around Blaze's throat, constricting tighter and tighter as if he wanted to pop her head clean off, her golden eyes bulging with the pressure.

Chaos and Amy both simultaneously attacked the hand that was holding Blaze, Chaos sending huge chunks of rock flying in every direction with each punch, and Amy frantically trying to pull her friend free, mostly in futility. Chaos' battering was enough to deter the wolf, who released Blaze with a screech. He was becoming impatient with this battle, and was anxious to light the last flame.

"Where is the last incarnation? Where _is_ the Dragon?" Sarx snarled, his poise nearly gone as he sent billowing tongues of flames in every direction, which only narrowly missed scorching them all.

"If he's smart, miles away from here by now!" Knuckles lied, hoping to discourage Sarx.

His remark had the opposite effect. The ivory wolf became enraged, lashing out in every direction with tentacles of stone and scarlet heat, his incredible power managing to hold them all off.

Amy barely avoided being roasted, and in fact, would've been, if she hadn't been snatched up by Sonic, who sped over and grabbed her just before the flames incinerated the spot on which she had stood, leaving a scarred black patch in the flooring.

Leaving her no time to thank him, Sonic quickly set her down and attacked Sarx again with an angry cry, leaving her standing alone and feeling useless. Every time they faced an enemy, she was the one who had to be saved. She was the one who sat back, and watched the fighting.

When they had faced Algos two years ago, it was Sonic and Shadow who had defeated him, and she was only a spectator.

When they had fought Eggman and Metal Apocalypse, Shadow had done the dark deed of destroying them.

When Shadow left them, she was helpless to even catch him, she could only hope Sonic would prevail, and she was forced to watch as their friend slipped away.

Then, when they went after Shadow again, she was a liability as Sonic faced Mephiles, someone he had to spend energy to protect, rather than someone who could help him.

When they fought Eclipse, Sarx, Kakos and Doom on Angel Island, everyone helped, Rouge, even Tails. But she was useless.

And now, when they faced the very end of the world, she could do nothing against this madman, had to simply stand by as her friends fell at his hands, and everything she knew and loved was annihilated by his sick plot.

No more. She would prove her worth to them all, she would help them defeat Sarx. Amy drew back her staff and charged at the wolf, surprising Knuckles, who watched her pass by on her warpath.

The would-be conqueror laughed, as he raised up a pillar of stone, which she ran into face first, her attack cut short before it even began. As Chaos, Knuckles, and Blaze occupied Sarx, Sonic rushed over to ensure Amy's safety.

"You okay Ames?" he said as he lowered a hand to help her up. She growled and jumped to her feet.

"I don't need any help! I'm not useless!" she roared as she dusted herself off, shocking Sonic.

"I never said you were Amy," he said quietly, while she boiled in rage at having been defeated again. Although she was not angry at Sonic, she was getting so infuriated that she was literally shaking with rage.

"No, but you were thinking it! I can help!" she insisted, as she brandished her staff and charged at Sarx again.

The rock encased wolf had just finished swatting away Blaze, and was now raining down fire on Chaos, when he saw Amy's approach. Chuckling maniacally, he absorbed more stone into his armor from the flooring, growing to gargantuan size, dwarfing them all.

"My dear, what can you hope to do against me?" Sarx's overconfidence was corrected a moment later, when Amy's staff slammed into his leg. Call it impossible, but when her sky blue weapon made contact with Sarx's rock armor, the damage caused looked more like it had been caused by Knuckles than Amy.

But she didn't just strike him once, but successively, sending chunks of rock flying away with the sheer force of her anger. Despite their shock, the other heroes rushed over to help her, all of them attacking at once.

Sarx reached down and smacked the pink hedgehog, sending her flying away, and even knocking out a tooth. Chaos struck the spot she had chipped away at like a bolt of lightning, making direct contact with Sarx's leg.

The wolf groaned in pain and retaliated with fire, but his feline enemy decided to make good on the old saying. Her flaming projectile collided with his, causing them both to dissipate into nothingness.

Sonic had quickly checked on Amy and returned to the fight with a roar, plunging a sparking Shining Lance into the titanic Sarx's shoulder. The rock shattered and left a bare, burnt patch in the wolf's fur, but the armor had absorbed most of the damage.

Once again, Sarx targeted Blaze, knowing he could not kill Sonic or Knuckles. His fist came down, about to crush her. At the last second, Chaos dived under and slid, taking Blaze with him and out of harm's way.

After the echidna had saved her from impending doom, he merely stood there, her feline body cradled in his arms.

"Hey kitty, you're lookin'... hot," he joked, not yet fully aware of Blaze's strong willed personality.

"In your dreams," she replied simply, as she jerked free of his grasp. The wolf used this interlude to his advantage, swinging at the spot where the two stood. Chaos and Blaze managed to leap out of the way, avoiding being crushed.

However, Sarx's massive, rock encased fist struck the floor with such force the it actually sent a crack running through the flooring, and a terrible crumbling sound could be heard rumbling from deep within the tower. It was like the groaning of the stomach of some enormous beast, crying out angrily from below them.

"What the..." Sonic remarked, looking around for the source of the noise.

"The strains of the battles are too great. The tower can't take much more," Knuckles growled while throwing a punch at Sarx's chest.

The gargantuan colossus the wolf had become nearly fried Knuckles with a particularly vicious stream of flames, forcing the echidna to jump off of him, and keep his distance.

The four remaining heroes stood their ground, and stared at their enemy, Blaze wide eyed and panting, and Knuckles with one limp arm. They had all suffered tremendous battle wounds, with the possible exception of Chaos, but he could only do so much.

Their enemy remained strong, and waiting for them to attack, refusing to take to offensive and spend his energy. Sarx looked around, searching for potential targets.

The Basilisk and the Wyvern were already disabled, and he couldn't kill them. The little fox boy had disappeared a while ago, and the rest of the non-incarnations were too powerful to easily kill.

Except for... the pink female. Sarx grinned as he plotted, and the others saw the light of diabolical intention in his eyes, but didn't know what he was planning. For the first time in the fight, he truly took the offensive, rumbling forward and batting Knuckles to the side like nothing more than a blade of grass blown about in the wind.

Blaze threw orbs of fire at several places in Sarx's armor, but whenever she burned through, the rock simply replenished itself the next moment. She was still strained from her massive flame attack she used on Grove, and not at her full strength.

Perhaps that had been Sarx's plan all along, to whittle down their strength until they got to him, weak and underpowered, unable to put up a proper fight against him.

But Sarx's intention was not to kill her, and he passed her by like she was nothing but a mere annoyance, thundering towards Sonic and Chaos. The two attacked in unison, Sonic ramming a quickly summoned Shining Lance into Sarx's armor, and Chaos shattering the rock with his bare fist.

The rock encased wolf shook them off of himself, completely ignoring their attacks, and continued on, attacking neither of them. They were dumbfounded for a moment, before they saw his target.

Amy was staring wide eyed at the rapidly approaching behemoth, her knees knocking in fear.

Sonic screamed, rushing forward to batter Sarx ferociously with attacks, moving faster than lightning as he bombarded Sarx's armor.

The wolf snarled and winded Sonic with a rib snapping punch to the chest, sending a thin line of blood dribbling down the hero's chin. Taking advantage of Sonic's shock, he forced Chaos to stand down with a flaming deluge, and turned, standing between the four heroes and Amy.

The world spun around Sonic as an array of mixed colors, and he was unable to see Sarx pick Amy up, but he could hear her scream.

"Leave her out of this!" Sonic managed to sputter amidst his disorientation.

"I would never fight a lady unprovoked. If I seem to recall, she attacked me first," Sarx reminded them, ignoring the pink females cries of protest and frantic struggles.

"She's a sixteen year old girl Sarx! Don't you have any respect for innocent life!" Chaos roared, while he moved ominously closer, his fists clenched in fury.

"You're awfully sentimental for a god. Meddling in the affairs of mortals, it's not natural," Sarx replied levelly, but the divine echidna seemed unaffected by this sarcastic remark, as if was an idea that did not offend him.

"Put her down," Blaze commanded, summoning a roaring fire into her hands the crackling embers scream out for the silver wolf's blood. Sarx only smiled devilishly, and held her up for them to see.

"Let's be reasonable. I'm sure we can come to an agreement. How about this: you do what I say, or she dies," he smiled fakely, staring right into Sonic's eyes. The cerulean hero looked back at him for a moment, gauging him, trying to determine if Sarx was truly serious in his threat. After a quiet moment of examination, he hung his head in defeat.

"Sarx is crazy enough to do it. We have to listen to what he says," he muttered quietly, causing Amy to gasp.

"No Sonic, forget about me! Don't let him unleash Nova!" she shouted while desperately trying to break free of his grasp.

Chaos turned to Sonic, a solemn look on his face, his eyes dead and empty.

"I'm sorry." Before Sonic could question the incarnate deity as to what he meant, he surged forward, landing a trio of shattering punches in Sarx's chest. The titanic wolf launched a stream of fire in reply, burning the echidna's arms and forcing him to drop to the ground in pain.

Deciding to discard his hostage, Sarx drew his arm back and hurled Amy at a wall, causing her to shriek in terror. She struck the wall with a loud thump, and lay completely motionless, her arms and legs twisted and contorted into sickening, unnatural positions, sliding down the wall to land in a pitiful heap upon the floor.

Sonic stared at her in horror, as tears began to gather at the corners of his eyes, his bottom lip moving as if he wanted to say something, but had no words. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Sarx's lips slowly curved into a wicked grin as he noticed Sonic's emotional connection to the rose female, and stared down at him in an arrogant and knowing manner.

"I'm afraid that's what's in store for the rest of your friends too. The fox, the cat. Everyone who associates with you will die, until no-one will stand by your side." Sarx smirked, and began to whisper, his poisonous words floating to Sonic's ears with ease in the quiet room. "They will all abandon you. And when you are left alone, how do you intend to prevail against my organization? Can you combat us all by yourself?"

Sonic's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles popped, and became as white as death. Blaze looked over at him, concern on her face.

"Sonic, are you..." she asked worriedly as she looked at Amy. "I think she'll be okay, she's probably just got a concussion."

"You sick bastard..." Sonic growled with a low, quiet voice, his back to Sarx, and his eyes turned towards Amy. Chaos looked at him quietly, as the white wolf continued to smirk.

"Rather large words coming from such a small hedgehog. But this comes as no surprise. You've failed to protect your friends time and time again, and you will continue to do so as long as you fight us"

the wolf stated, his poetic tone hiding the malice within his words.

"First Shadow and now her," he said grandly, as if he were surmising the hedgehog's entire life, describing his very existence in exquisite detail.

"But she... she was special... wasn't she?" Sarx snickered, taunting Sonic. The cerulean hero made no reply. "She was more than just a friend... Too late now though, isn't it? A pity."

"Sonic... don't..." Blaze pleaded, before the hero whipped around. Staring down Sarx with obsidian eyes to match the color of his old friend, ones that burned with hatred. Sonic's voice rose to a dramatic bellow, as his tone descended to a demonic growl, and the flood of his emotions broke free.

"**You don't care who has to die! An innocent girl like her gets killed and you're glad!**" Sonic roared as he charged at Sarx, vicious intentions that mirrored the color of his eyes pecfectly.


	85. Dark Side of a Hero

**Chapter 85- Dark Side of a Hero**

Mid charge, Sonic underwent a dramatic transformation. His fur color darkened like it was being painted black, until it matched the color of night itself. He was surrounded by an aura of energy, not unlike that when he was in the Super Form, but this one was a sickly, obsidian.

His eyes had first changed from their emerald green to a empty ebony, and then shrank into nothingness, leaving empty, glazed over whites.

But the transformation was more than physical. From looking at Sonic, it was easy to tell that he had lost all control over his anger, but it wasn't just anger that abided within this strange new form he'd taken. Burning within his eyes was the unmistakable fire of pure, unmatched hatred, and an incomprehensible pain.

This change surprised even Sarx a bit, leaving him open to Sonic's first attack. The hedgehog's fist thundered into Sarx, shattering his rock armor, creating a boom like thunder, and throwing small pebbles in every direction. The wolf responded with a jet of flames, but Sonic adeptly side-stepped this, while snarling with blood lust. Taking a step back, he summoned a crackling, crimson orb of energy to his palm.

Blaze was concerned by Sonic's change, and looked to Chaos for guidance, but he simply shook his head, a gesture that told her not to interfere.

Sarx was beginning to get nervous, as Sonic's attacks were at least several times more powerful than they had been before. Perhaps enraging him off had not been the best idea.

Making him severely regret attacking Amy, Sonic began to shoot successive Shining Lances into Sarx, blowing off chunks of rock armor at an astonishing speed.

The ivory wolf desperately tried to regenerate his armor, but found that the obsidian hedgehog's attacks were depleting it faster than he could regain it even if he devoted all his energy to the regeneration process!

Sonic temporarily stopped his assault to encase his fists in orbs of energy that uncannily resembled Chaos Nightmare, before charging at Sarx to deliver a crippling blow. The wolf thought quickly and raised a protective barrier a few feet in front of him, but the power of Sonic's Dark Super Form was so great, that his aura alone began to eat away the rock.

_'But that's impossible!'_ Sarx had trained with Eclipse many times, and even he'd never been able to burn through rock with the sheer power of his aura!

Interrupting his frantic musings, Sonic burst through the stone, a homicidal snarl on his face.

"**Burn in hell!**" he growled as he slammed first one, and then two of the violet orbs into Sarx's armor. The attacks threw tiny chunks of rock in every direction, completely shattering the rock armor that protected Sarx's chest.

Sonic formed a crackling Shining Lance, and aimed it for the wolf's heart, intending to finish him right then.

However, he was blasted back by a stream of flames, which were mostly absorbed by his protective shield, but burned him nonetheless. Sarx took advantage of this, and reformed some of his armor, while gathering his energy.

Sonic's fury brought him to his feet, his berserker rage only strengthened by the damage he had taken.

He launched himself at Sarx, his midnight black aura sparking like it had a mind of its own. Sarx launched a pillar of rock at him, but Sonic smashed through this, once again making a drive to the ivory wolf's heart.

Sarx wracked his brain for anyone else he had revived, any latent powers he had. Just before Sonic struck him, he remembered something.

"Dark Portal!" he shouted, allowing him to sink into an obsidian opening in the floor. Sonic stared at the spot he'd been, as what the wolf's escape meant sunk in, even through his infuriation.

_'That's Mephiles' power. But that means...' _Sarx appeared behind him, disoriented from using a teleportation power that he wasn't accustomed to.

"I'd almost forgotten that I revived him... cost me a lot of blood too," he muttered, still a bit shaken from the Dark Portal.

"So you're the one who brought Mephiles back!" Blaze yelled, but she was silenced by a glare from Chaos.

"Yes and no," Sarx said with a bow, as he turned back to Sonic. The dark hero looked anxious to get back to his killing, and attacked Sarx promptly upon the wolf finishing his answer.

"**You're the cause of all of this! Shadow left because of you!**" he roared, throwing bolt after bolt of crackling scarlet energy at his enemy.

"I believe you're looking for a fellow by the name of Eclipse. And from what I hear, Shadow's already trying to send him to the grave." Sarx said sarcastically, even as he frantically dodged Sonic's vicious attacks.

"**So that leaves only you to pay. The last one to receive justice. You caused everything. Brought back Mephiles, made Shadow forsake us for revenge! And now you've murdered Amy!**" At the end of his speech, Sonic stopped his assault, and began gathering energy into himself, a familiar tactic to Sarx.

_'A Chaos Blast? Doesn't he know he'll kill us all?' _Sarx thundered forward, bringing his fist down to try to crack Sonic's skull.

The obsidian hedgehog's hand shot up, coiling around Sarx's arm, tightening like an iron vice until a sickly snap echoed through the room.

At that moment, his preparation was complete. But rather than unleashing the energy as an area attack, he used the technique he learned from Shadow.

The energy left Sonic's fingertips as a beam of pure destructive power, striking Sarx in the shoulder, missing his heart by only three inches. It penetrated all the way through his armor, all the way through his flesh and bone, and came out of the other side, striking the wall behind him.

Sarx screamed, clutching his wound, while trying desperately to strengthen his armor.

"**Submit yourself to me now, and I'll make your death a quick one!**" Sonic bellowed, as Sarx growled.

"Alright Sonic, this has gone on far enough!" Knuckles said weakly, as he stood to his feet. Whirling around faster than a flash, Sonic snarled in rage.

"**I have not gone nearly far enough! Everyone responsible must be punished! Sarx, G.U.N., Shadow... they must all be destroyed!**" he cackled, the madness of the Dark Super Form overtaking him. The others were silent at his accusing stare and unusual fury.

Sarx sent a Nightmare Lance at Sonic, but the obsidian hedgehog saw it out of the corner of his eye and used Chaos Control to teleport out of harm's way. Growling like an enraged animal, he tackled Sarx, sending his energy saturated fists colliding with the wolf's chest. Rock flew off in chunks, as the wolf's flesh was exposed, allowing Sonic to get at him.

Sarx desperately flung Sonic off himself, bashing the hedgehog's head against a wall, but Sonic recovered in an instant, firing a corrupted Shining Lance at him to undo the brief recovery the reviver's armor had been allowed.

Frantically throwing flaming jets at his opponent, Sarx cursed as Sonic lunged right and left, under and over, expending practically nothing and dodging every attack Sarx threw at him. The ivory wolf combined his flames with pillars of jutting rock, straining his energy reserves.

Sonic blasted through the pillars, now turning to come at Sarx like a hell bent demon, his aura now manifested as ebony fire.

"_**It ends here...**_" he said, his voice now taking on an eerie, demented tone. Sarx shook in fear, increasing his fire tenfold.

But to his horror and astonishment, Sonic's ebony flames were protecting him from the heat of the fire. It was truly over.

A beat.

Sonic struck Sarx, blasting through his rock armor in an instant. He drew his fist back, calling a sizzling orb of crimson energy to life within it. Sarx grasped at his wrist, trying to hold the viciously swirling attack away from himself.

Sonic fired off the attack, but Sarx managed to twist so that it would only hit his arm. But to everyone's surprise, the Shining Lance was so powerful, it had nearly blasted Sarx's arm clean off, leaving it limp and useless.

Sarx howled in pain, while trying desperately to strike Sonic with a rock encased fist. Sonic pinned Sarx's hands to the floor, staring at him with cold, empty eyes that held a hellish fury.

The others were quiet as the dead, convinced for a moment that the sheer ferocity of Sonic's death-glare alone could kill Sarx.

"_**Nothing can save you now. I am death itself! I will avenge all the blood you've shed!**_" Sonic screamed, raising one hand to summon a blazing Shining Lance within it. The realization of the situation hit Sarx. He was out of energy, Sonic was in an unstoppable rage, and the last beacon remained unlit. He had failed.

As if in response to his grim assessment of the situation, Sarx felt a bit of energy return to him, its origin unknown. Not caring where it came from, the ivory wolf smirked, as he tapped into this precious reserve to get away using a Dark Portal.

Sonic howled in fury at the escape of his prey.

"_**Coward! You run from a fight you know you've lost!**_" he snarled. In response, Sarx appeared behind Sonic, a silvery orb of energy crackling within his palm.

"I haven't run away yet Sonic. And I haven't lost yet either," he answered, causing the obsidian hedgehog to spin around to face him, only to be struck in the head by Sarx's energy projectile.

Sonic went reeling with the attack, which burned through his aura and inflicted minor damage to his face. His right eye was weeping blood, and he had a gash cut into his cheek. Once again, these wounds only served to anger the murderous hedgehog.

Sarx was shocked by how little damage the attack had done, while Sonic drew back his fist, preparing to bludgeon the wolf to death.

He made a mad dash for his sword, deciding that it would provide a ample advantage on the dark hedgehog. Sonic saw this in the wolf's eyes, and quickly positioned himself in between the wolf and his weapon.

The ivory attempted to side step around Sonic, but was caught in the head by a shattering punch. Knocked to the ground by the force of the blow, Sarx looked up in terror as Sonic stood over him, a looming shadow.

The dark hedgehog turned and picked up the sword, savoring its feel in his fingers. Sarx's eyes widened as comprehension flooded him.

A moment too late, Sarx realized what was happening. Sonic plunged the sword into Sarx's arm in a sick parody of Knuckles' earlier imprisonment, pinning him to the ground.

The wolf gripped the wound as blood poured out of his arm, staining his milky white fur.

Sonic's fist made contact with Sarx's chest, snapping a rib and winding him. Drawing back his foot, Sonic delivered a kick to each of Sarx's kneecaps, shattering them and effectively rendering him immobile.

The infuriated hedgehog pounded at Sarx, beating him to a pulp. Blow after blow landed on the ivory wolf, but still Sonic was not satisfied. He punched Sarx so many times that the skin was ripped off his knuckles, but still he continued.

The wolf shuddered and cried out, coughing up blood and whimpering. He gazed at Sonic, his eyes glazed over and filled with tears.

"Don't you see that I'm only doing what I think is best? I have nothing personal against you, it's just that you got in my way," he said while hacking up blood.

"_**You killed Amy you bastard. I'd say that's pretty damn personal!**_" he growled as he threw a punch at Sarx's jaw, causing the wolf to bite his tongue.

"It's not over. Mark my words, you've not seen the last of this organization," Sarx prophesied, as Sonic sputtered in rage.

"_**You will gaze upon the deepest circle of Hell!**_" he screamed, as he bombarded Sarx in punches, throwing blow after blow until the wolf stopped his convulsions, his consciousness lost.

In his rage, Sonic mistook this for death, and stood up, his fur saturated in Sarx's blood.

He turned around to face the rest of them, his Dark Super Form still very active. Slowly, he approached them, summoning crackling orbs of energy into his fists.

"_**And you all... you're all to blame. Everyone is to blame!**_" he shouted in his madness, completely overtaken by emotion.

"Get yourself under control Sonic. We've won," Knuckles said softly, but despite his warnings, Sonic continued advancing.


	86. Sonic's Rampage

**Chapter 86- Sonic's Rampage**

Sonic stepped closer to them, a dangerous, homicidal sneer on his face. The heroes knew that he was completely out of control, but that he had just defeated Sarx, so if they could cause him to see the situation, there would be no further danger.

"Calm down! Everything is okay!" Knuckles said, but Sonic made no indication he'd even heard. The heroes suddenly realized that Sonic had easily done what all of them together couldn't do... single handedly defeated Sarx. How much power did this new form possess?

As if to answer their wonderings, the obsidian hedgehog shot forward, fist drawn back to attack Knuckles. The echidna gasped in frustration at Sonic's incredible speed, he was impossible to track.

Sonic landed a kick in the back of Knuckles' head, throwing the echidna to the floor and sprawled on his face, the force of the kick sending ringing vibrations through his skull. Whatever dark intentions Sonic had were interrupted, as Blaze sent a ball of fire at him.

The infuriated hedgehog growled and easily dodged this projectile, but he had forgotten about Knuckles, which was Blaze's original intention. Knuckles used the opening to whip around and kick Sonic in the legs, knocking him on his back.

"We don't want to hurt you Sonic. Just settle down!" Blaze snarled, while covering her fists in fire. The battle was certainly a conundrum. On the one hand, if they simply did nothing, and allowed Sonic to attack them, he undoubtedly possessed the strength to kill them all.

But on the other hand, if they used their maximum strength, treating him as an enemy... they had no intention to seriously hurt or kill him... It posed quite a problem.

How do you fight someone who is your friend? Sonic faced the same dilemma when he fought Shadow at the lake of tears. But Sonic had to come to a terrible decision that if he didn't use all his strength, Shadow would kill him.

Knuckles, Blaze, and Chaos faced the same choice. Blaze was hesitant to attack Sonic, hoping instead to bring him within a hair's breadth of danger in order to shock him back to reality.

Knuckles was too busy worrying about staying alive to form a coherent thought about morality.

Chaos wasn't sure yet what should be done. Sonic stood up, glaring down at Knuckles as if he had been the one to injure Amy. His eyes were so cold and hateful... for a moment, Knuckles forgot that he was Sonic, became utterly convinced that some unspeakable demon was standing before him.

The whooshing sound of a Shining Lance being made filled the air, as a diabolical smirk twisted across Sonic's lips.

That was precisely the moment Tikal arrived. Coming into the room, she was shocked by what she saw.

In one corner lay Silver, unconscious. Laying on the floor and panting for his life was Knuckles. A dozen or so feet away was Chaos, his eyes narrowed. Next to him was Blaze, her fists covered in flames.

Sarx lay pinned to the floor by his own sword, his blood smeared everywhere, as if he'd been attacked by a ravenous beast. Tails and Rouge were nowhere to be seen, but in the center of the room, standing and staring at her, was an unfamiliar black hedgehog.

I say unfamiliar, and not strange, or unknown, because in an eerie way, he was familiar. He was just different than she remembered. There stood Sonic, his fur an obsidian black, his pupils gone, and in his hand, a writhing crimson fire, a corrupted Shining Lance.

"What happened here?" she asked in shock, as Knuckles looked up at her. Chaos looked in her direction, and pointed to a pathetic form, which lay sprawled out against a wall. It was covered in blood, and its fur was pink. "Gods be merciful... is she dead?"

"Almost. Scrawny lost control when Sarx critically wounded her," Chaos answered. Tikal looked at Sonic in pity, seeing through the veil of pain and fury to the tender hearted individual he truly was.

"I'm going to help her Sonic. I'm going to heal her," she said slowly, hoping he would understand. Either he did understand, or he decided to ignore her, as he turned back towards Knuckles.

"_**You're first. If you had helped me, Shadow wouldn't have left!**_" he said in a quiet, yet eerily demonic voice. Knuckles' eyes widened at this accusation, and he rose to his feet.

"You aren't in your right mind. I don't want to hurt you," Knuckles explained as Chaos slowly drew closer. While Sonic was busy with them, Tikal had begun to heal Silver and Amy, hoping that their wounds weren't too severe.

"_**You've already done that!**_" Sonic snarled, as he loosed a punch at his crimson friend. Knuckles grabbed the fist and held it in place, straining to overpower Sonic.

To his surprise, the strength exerted by Sonic in this form made it so that one of his arms was at least nearly as powerful as both of Knuckles' were normally. Coming to support him, Chaos grabbed hold of Sonic other arm.

"_**Let go of me! You will all die!**_" he shouted as they pinned him to the ground. Knuckles began to falter, and Chaos grabbed hold of both of Sonic's arms, restraining him.

"Come to your senses!" Knuckles shouted, "She'll live!" Sonic refused to comply. He struggled and snarled, even trying to bite Knuckles. Fighting like a demon, the efforts of the guardian and the god barely managed to hold him.

"Don't make me kill you scrawny," Chaos breathed, much to Knuckles' shock.

"What are you saying? We'll pull through this! No more killing! Sarx is defeated," Knuckles insisted, while shooting the other echidna a death glare.

"Maybe he can't be reasoned with. Maybe we need to beat it out of him."

"You're crazy! He'll snap out of it! Come on Sonic, I know you're in there somewhere. For me. For Amy, come back to us!" Knuckles growled, while straining his muscles against Sonic's writhing convulsions.

"_**The hands... they burn! Get off me! I'll kill you!**_" Chaos replied by slapping Sonic in the face. For a moment, it seemed as if this had cured him, but then his anger flared and he continued his struggles even more violently than before.

Tikal desperately tried to heal Amy, rationalizing that since she set this off, perhaps she could cure it. However, Sonic was becoming more violent by the minute, and Knuckles and Chaos were struggling to hold him.

Finally, Amy's eyes slowly opened, and she rubbed her forehead in pain.

"Ow... my head. What happened?" she said in a hoarse voice.

"Sarx threw you against a wall, and Sonic went into a fit of rage. He's gone berserk. He attacked Knuckles. Please, would you go see if you can calm him down?" Tikal pleaded, gesturing over to the violent, but restrained Sonic. It took a moment for her words to sink in, but once they did, Amy nodded and fearfully approached her hero.

"Sonic... are you okay?" The obsidian hero slowed in his convulsions, as if listening carefully, but made no reply. "I'm here."

"_**They didn't hurt you?**_" he said in a quiet, but nonetheless frightening voice. Amy gulped in fear at Sonic's anger, but knowing that it wasn't directed at her, she approached him.

"I'm so sorry Sonic. If I'd have listened to you, Sarx wouldn't have got me." she coaxed, and to Knuckles and Chaos' relief and surprise, he stopped struggling altogether.

"_**Amy...**_Amy..." Sonic's voice slowly returned to normal, as his eyelids fluttered furiously. Bending down, she drew him into a warm embrace, cradling him in her arms. Despite the other heroes' initial hesitance, the previously enraged and obsidian hedgehog returned her hug, and slowly began to transform back to normal.

First his fur color began to regain its natural blue hue, and then his aura disappeared. Finally, his eyes returned to the emerald green that Amy adored, and he looked her in the eyes, a sad smile on his face.

"I'm sorry I let this happen to you. I thought I'd lost you." He sobbed, as the two simply cried on each other's shoulders, a beautiful sentiment.

Sonic seemed to realize how close of contact they were in, or possibly, how much of him was in contact with her, because the next second, he somewhat abruptly pulled away, a red tinge teasing his cheeks.

"Um... so anyways, uh... we all square?" he said to Knuckles and Chaos, who both hesitated a moment, but nodded and smiled wickedly at his embarrassment. "I don't remember much though... where's Sarx?"

Knuckles and Chaos looked at each other in surprise, and both simultaneously gestured at the fallen wolf, who had now recovered from his earlier unconsciousness, but was still in massive pain. Sonic's attacks had driven him to the brink of death, and the blood loss he'd already suffered was tremendous.

"Should we leave him here?" Blaze asked. Sarx coughed in reply, looked up at them, and spoke.

"I beg of you, have mercy! Don't leave me here to suffer!" he panted, as with each word, blood spurted out of his lips from the internal bleeding inflicted by Sonic's barrage. Nearly gagging at seeing such a gruesome sight, Amy turned away.

"If we let him live, he would continue to be our enemy. After all, strength lies in brutality," Knuckles said mockingly. Tikal gave him a scolding stare. "What? I was just using his own words against him!"

Sonic wasn't paying attention to their argument, but rather was meeting the gaze of Chaos, who was staring at him with a haunting knowingness.

"Do I owe you money or something?" he joked, but the pun fell flat at the unusual seriousness of the echidna's gaze.

"I'll tell you later," he said again, causing Sonic to sigh in irritation.

"Not to be rude, but if you're going to kill me, can you get it over with!" Sarx screamed, blood nearly pouring out of him.

"Ah yes. Killing you. Quite," Knuckles said in a mock English accent, once again to the scolding of Tikal. This time he ignored her. "Who'll do the honors?"

"Oh oh, pick me!" Chaos said in a childish voice. Knuckles pointed at him, which he replied with a mouthed 'oh yeah.'

Turning to stare down Sarx, the god began cracking his knuckles, one by one. He then rushed forward, his fist drawn back, to collide with the wolf, exerting incredible strength.

The power of his blow threw Sarx back at such great force that his arm was torn off, remaining pinned to the ground on the sword. He flew backwards and crashed into a wall, sending showers of rocks flying outwards, and cracks running down the wall and floors.

Apparently, Sarx hit the wall in exactly the wrong place, because the tower began to rumble and buck.

"What the hell?" Knuckles remarked as the floor shook.

"Nobody move!" Tikal commanded, as the tower roared and creaked. A loud crashing noise could be heard far below, and everyone held their breath.

After a tense moment where the heroes stood motionless, silently praying for their lives, the tremors stopped. They all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Man was that close. I was worried for a second there!" Sonic said as he leaned against a wall.

"Sonic!" Tikal screamed.

A beat passed.

The rumbling resumed like a bear that had been awoken from hibernation, roaring to life and shaking the tower. Only this time, it was more like the earth itself was quaking.

"Let's get out of here!" Amy yelled, as they all rushed out of Sarx's sanctum. What they didn't notice as they left, was that they had left the goblets behind. And amidst the pile of rocks where Sarx had landed, there was movement.

The heroes bounded down the stairway, tripping once as the tower went through a particularly vicious tremor. They flew past the solidified energy barrier that Chaos had destroyed on their way up, not even noticing it.

Then they came down into Eclipse's chamber. Where there had previously been a hole in the wall, now there was no wall, as bricks and stone crumbled away and fell down below. To their relief, they heard the roaring of an engine, and saw Tails fly upwards in a new invention, one that resembled a hovercraft.

And it could seat seven people. Sonic whistled in appreciation.

"Sweet ride Tails. But how'd you get it so quick?" Sonic asked in confusion. Tails landed the hovercraft in the gaping hole in Eclipse's wall, and motioned for them to get in.

"I set it on autopilot and told it to follow a ways behind the Tornado. Then, when I needed it, I just went outside and got it," he explained, as they all began boarding.

Tails sat in the pilot's seat, and next to him was the unconscious Rouge. They set Silver in the craft as well, and then began climbing in. First Amy, and then Tikal, then Knuckles, and finally Sonic boarded the craft.

"You think you can ride on the outside?" Sonic yelled to Chaos over the roar of the engine.

"You go on ahead. I've got some unfinished business to attend to," he replied as the hovercraft lifted off to lumber out of the tower and land in the nearby hills.

Chaos turned away and began to race down the tower amidst the tremors, to collect the body of Valor, and the unconscious form of Algos.


	87. Ashes and Sunshine

**Chapter 87- Ashes and Sunshine**

Chaos bounded out of Eclipse's room and down the stairs, which were now scattered with cracks and small chunks of rock. The winding stairs were an annoyance, and every now and then, the god would have to dodge falling debris, as the tower began to crumble.

Coming into the room which formerly housed the pool of water, the god stopped in awe. The floor was still solid, but one of the walls had a massive crack in it, which looked as if it would burst and crumble to dust any moment.

There, where Tails and he had left him lay Algos, still unconscious. Deftly the echidna jumped down, landing on the floor below with a soft thud. Standing over Algos' form, a thought occurred to him.

"I haven't got to nickname you yet!" he realized. "Well let's see. Earth incarnation, Dragon, controls sand... Let's save some time, I'll just call you Sandy," he chuckled.

Algos seemed to resent this even in his sleep, snorting suddenly.

"Aw shut up. These things are harder to make up than you'd think!" he explained as he picked the hedgehog up. Slinging Algos over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, he continued his rush down the tower, as it continued to tremble.

Another flight of stairs. Another empty room. It seemed to go on forever, shaking, falling rocks, cracks splitting open to reveal a long drop to the ground. Finally, the sky blue echidna came into the room where Knuckles had fought Kakos.

Still as a tomb, the room was hauntingly quiet amidst the tower's crumbling. Once again looking around to admire his fellow echidna's work, he shook his head in stunned satisfaction before moving on.

"The Big Guy's got some moves, eh Sandy?" he said to the sleeping Algos. As would be expected, he received no reply. "Not a chatty fellow huh?" he said sarcastically.

Returning to the scenery of many flights of winding stairs, he sighed in irritation.

"Why did Sarx have to make this tower so damn tall?" he grumbled, as the structure's shaking began to grow, and the top floor collapsed onto the floor below it. "Oh crap, I've seen this one before! The layers stack up until the weight is too much, and then **bam**!" he deduced, making a slamming motion with his hands.

Hurrying all the more, he could hear the sound of the second highest floor cracking under the weight of the newly fallen top one.

Coming into the area where Blaze and Tikal had fought Grove, the echidna took a moment to breathe and wipe a droplet of sweat off his brow. Normally he'd have been more than capable of carrying Algos down the steps without any trouble at all.

But the cumulative exhaustion from the battle with the Black Arms, and then the fight with Valor, and then the one with Sarx was beginning to weigh on him.

Quickly moving on, he blazed down the steps with a terrified fury as the tower began to groan, and the second highest floor collapsed, sending its weight, and that of the top story onto the third highest floor.

Soon, the whole thing would simply tumble down.

Rushing frantically, he passed the area where Tails had been separated from the rest of them, the image passing by as nothing more than a colored blur.

The third highest floor broke under the pressure, forcing the support beams of the fourth highest floor to carry four times their capacity in weight. How long it would hold was anyone's guess.

Breathing a silent prayer, the god of destruction burst out of the doorway and onto the ground floor, as the tower began to groan.

Stopping for a moment to heave Valor's corpse onto his other shoulder, he faltered, but then regained his balance. The sound of metal being warped motivated him to action, and he rushed for the open doorway.

The support beams gave out. The top four stories fell down, but surprisingly, the fifth floor's support beams managed to hold the weight momentarily,

Using this precious little time, Chaos dived out the doorway, mere seconds before the fifth floor crumbled, and sent the weight of the upper half of the tower collapsing down.

The whole thing began to crumble, metal shattering and rock chunks falling to earth.

The echidna took a quiet moment to revel in the destruction, and set down Algos and Valor.

"Well Sandy, it looks like you're with me," he commented, as the shaking ended and the rubble lay still, the mayhem finished.

"I suppose it's time to make good on my promise..."

_Flashback_

_Standing to his full height, Valor gripped his crushed ribs when a spasm of pain shot throughout his side. "Of course not. It's just an honor to face you in battle."_

"_Flattery won't get you anywhere, big guy. Besides, unlike my stick-up-the-ass brothers and sisters, I really don't care about honor as long as a good fight is involved," Chaos replied idly, waving the compliment off._

"_That is a shame," the giant replied, dusting off his chest, which had collected some rubble and dust. "I always believed that honor is the most important thing in any battle, physical or mental."_

_Chaos smirked again. "Then you and I just don't share the same views, big guy."_

_Valor smiled and closed his eyes, hiding his vermilion eyes behind thin brown eyelids. "I can see that this will be my last battle. May I request something of you?"_

_The lord of destruction's smirk died. "Shoot."_

"_I would like to be honored with a warrior's death, as well as a proper burial."_

_Chaos sighed. "No problem, big guy. You're actually a pretty cool guy, too bad you ended up working for a dirt-bag like Sarx." He smirked again. "I'll give you the death you want, and I'll bury you myself."_

"_Thank you."_

_End Flashback_

The sky blue echidna remained quiet in thought for a moment, before coming to a decision.

"I don't know where his home was, so I guess I'll have to bury him here," Chaos sighed. Glancing down at Valor's corpse, he frowned.

Making sure Algos was comfortable, he began his work. Wrapping Valor's body in some white cloth he retrieved from the tower rubble, he cleaned him off, and closed his eyelids while bowing respectfully.

Digging the hole would he the hard part. Of course, echidnas were supposed to be masters of digging, but he wasn't naturally an echidna, so he had the tools, just not the experience in using them.

At first, it was slow going, as the ground was either hard, rocky, or sandy, tending to collapse in whenever he got a decent hole dug. And the fact that Valor was a mammoth creature obviously meant he warranted a very large hole... which didn't help matters much.

Once, Chaos got a proper grave about halfway done, but a passing wind disrupted his progress, throwing several gallons of sand into the hole.

Cursing in rage, he shook his fist in the air.

"You'll pay for that next time we meet you bastard!" Chaos shouted, apparently speaking to the wind god.

Algos chose precisely that moment to wake up.

"Have a nice sleep Sandy?" Chaos said with a smile as he looked at the groggy hedgehog.

"Sandy? Who's sandy?" he replied, his eyes half open.

"You are, silly. It's your nickname. Get used to it," he thundered, apparently very proud of the fact that nobody was tough enough to stand up to him and protest his use of nicknames.

"Well, it's better than Scrawny I suppose," Algos commented grimly. The god of destruction nodded, and then realized that he was standing in a hole filled with sand, talking to a sand manipulator.

Stepping out of the incomplete grave, he approached Algos.

"Hey Sandy, I'm diggin' a grave for Valor over there, and sand keeps getting in it. Would ya mind clearing it out for me?" he requested. Algos quirked a brow, but complied.

With a raise of his hand, the sand obediently rose into the air, leaving Chaos' hole empty, and complete. The sand was discarded to the side of the grave, and the lord of destruction smirked.

"Pretty cool power you got there." he admitted, while walking over to collect Valor.

"Except when you're dealing with lots of water..." Algos remarked with a sigh, as he thought back to his fight with Frost. Chaos didn't know what he was referring to, and was concentrating, so he made no reply.

Heaving Valor's massive form up, he carried it over and gently set it down into the deep hole Algos had dug for him.

"Mind filling it up again?" the god asked, as he began looking for anything to serve as a headstone. The sand manipulating hedgehog replied with a grunt, and dutifully filled in Valor's grave, placing a rock to mark the spot where his head had been set.

Chaos returned a moment later with a large, roughly semi-circular piece of stone rubble from the collapsed tower.

"This'll do nicely," he said as he set the great stone down on top of Algos' rock, undoubtedly smashing it. "What to put on it..."

"Wouldn't his name be the obvious choice?" Algos said sarcastically, earning a huff from the god.

"Well, you'd have that, but normally, there'd be an epitaph... some phrase that symbolizes who they really were..." the god pondered a moment, before summoning a miniature orb of energy on the tip of his finger.

Using it like a pen, he carved into the rock.

_Valor. He fought against a god, and fell with honor. _

After the inscription, there was a long moment of silence, perhaps in honor of the valiant bull, and perhaps in pondering of the echidna's writings. Finally, Algos broke the silence.

"Shouldn't we be getting back to the others?" he questioned.

"No rush. The battle is won. They'll come find us soon enough," he explained, while admiring his work. Algos nodded, but sighed.

"So Sarx was defeated. That's good to know. Did everyone get out okay?" Chaos opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it, as if thinking of something for the first time.

"That depends. Do you include Shadow in 'everyone'?" Chaos said slowly. Algos stared back at him, not understanding what he was referring to.

"I suppose so. Why?" he shrugged, while waiting for Chaos' response.

"Because I'm pretty sure that he's laying on the other side of the ruins, and he's either dead as a doornail, or out colder than a Antarctic freeze," Chaos frowned, while gesturing to the downed tower.

Algos stared at it, eyes wide.

"What happened... Did he and Sonic fight again?"

"No, he found his brother, and tried to get his revenge. You haven't encountered him since you first met him two years ago, but I can tell you one thing... he's in an entirely different league now," Chaos mused. "As expected, his battle with his brother was titanic. I could sense the energy spikes, and the levels were higher than anything I've ever encountered before in the mortal realm." Chaos explained, while gesturing to the sky as if to say, in contrast with the godly realm.

"I see." The only sound that could be heard after their exchange of words was a howling wind, which more or less captured the feelings of the battle. It was good that they had won, but also, they were under the impression that it was possible that Shadow was dead, and even if they had known the truth, he had given them all a fresh reminder of the fact that he wasn't on their side any more.

He played by his own rules now.

Algos frowned as he thought of the Shadow he'd met two years ago.

"How can this be?" he asked as his head began to spin.

"Whoa whoa, don't go loopy on me there Sandy. Everything's gonna be okay," Chaos said to encourage his companion.

"I'm fine... I just had a moment of... instability," he said quietly.

"Well, it'll all be over soon. I'm sure Scrawny will come around and pick up Shadow." Algos simply nodded. "Y'know, it may be a bit late now... seeing as how he might be dead, but I never got the chance to nickname Shadow."

"Go ahead," Algos said in a dismissive tone.

"I will. I think I'll name him for his cheerful outlook," Chaos chuckled sarcastically. "I'll call him... Sunshine."

"So let me get this straight. A guy named Shadow... with a brother named Eclipse... and you nickname him Sunshine. Doesn't that strike you as a bit of a cruel irony?" Algos replied. Chaos thought this over for a moment, and then came to a decision.

"Yep. And I love it." The brown hedgehog could only sigh in response.


	88. Nova

**Chapter 88- Nova**

While Chaos was rushing headlong down the tower, Sarx was still barely alive on the top floor. To his anger and frustration, he had managed to survive Chaos' final blow, but still didn't have the final goblet lit.

He had crawled free of the pile of wreckage as soon as the meddling heroes left, to drag himself to the center of the room. If he couldn't fulfill his ambition, then at least he'd die clutching the final piece of the puzzle.

Cradling the goblet of the Dragon in his arms, he braced himself amidst the tower's trembling. It would not be long now before sweet death took him.

As a particularly vicious quake shook the tower, the top floor collapsed onto the second highest one, throwing Sarx up into the air momentarily.

He landed with a curse and a thud, as his severed arm bled continuously.

_'Damn it, where is Eclipse? I'm done for, but he at least could've taken the goblets back to the main base.' _he thought, as the tremors continued. Then he remembered what Blaze had said. He hadn't really thought about it during the battle, brushing it off amidst the fighting. At first it seemed ridiculous, even preposterous. But slowly, he came to realize it as the truth.

Eclipse hadn't won. Shadow truly had defeated him.

"At least I got his flame beforehand. Now, they'll be saved the trouble of tracking down the new Griffon thanks to me," he said to himself.

The second highest floor gave out. Again, Sarx flew into the air, and crashed down, landing on his back.

But the ivory wolf was already in so much pain that he could barely feel the impact.

"Those fools. They've shattered my dreams of a perfect world... I should've listened to my brother," he mused, as the rumblings became more violent.

The crack in the floor made in his fight against the heroes began to crumble, leaving a gaping hole.

With a terrible sound like demons screaming in agony, steel support beams snapped, and the third highest floor's support beams gave out.

The reviver could almost feel death embracing him, and yet, he felt a familiar feeling, one he encountered during his battle against Sonic.

He was receiving energy. He knew that he had depleted his own reserves long ago... so this new energy could not possibly be his own.

And yet he felt it flowing into him, even as the fourth floor caved in.

He either acted now, or he died for sure.

Deciding in favor of high chance of death over assured death, Sarx used a Dark Portal to escape just before the fourth floor gave out.

However, the fifth floors beams held unexpectedly, delaying the collapse by ten seconds. When the tower finished crumbling, Sarx reappeared inside it.

He was within a concrete room, with thick enough walls to withstand the weight of the falling tower.

He still clutched the goblet to his chest, and the others lay scattered around him, as they had fallen through the hole in the middle of his room to land in this puddle of water, with him.

The blood from his arm began to mix with the water, tainting it.

Suddenly, his eyes widened, as he recognized a familiar aura mixing with his blood.

"It can't be!" he cried, crawling closer to the source of the energy.

The next second he lost the trail, but lay still, hoping against hope that it might reappear.

Nothing happened.

"Perhaps I am losing my mind..." he muttered, as he stared through the hole in the ceiling. "If they don't come get me soon, it'll all be over."

He lay there for a time, his life pouring out of his many wounds and dying the shallow water crimson.

And then, he felt it again. A pulse, a ripple. No, an energy signature.

Tiny, but distinctive. His blood was crying out to him, screaming for his attention.

And then he saw the source of this commotion.

In the corner of this room where his blood had flowed, there was a clearly distinguishable brown quill floating on the surface of the water.

Its energy signature, was that of the Dragon.

"Yes! Now, Nova, you may be reborn!" he cackled in delight, as he began to drag himself closer.

To his dismay, even as he began to come within reach, his vision began fading, the end drawing nearer.

With the last of his strength, Sarx reached out, and grabbed the hair, savoring its feel in his fingers.

"Fools. I shall be avenged!" he laughed, gripping the handle of the goblet shakily.

As his mad cackle split the air, he dropped the hair in.

An earthy, brown fire sprang to life, responding to the flesh of its owner with an almost living enthusiasm.

But this alone was not enough.

Drawing a dagger from his belt, he hissed in pain as he sliced down his leg, due to the fact that his right arm had been cleaved off entirely, and therefore obviously could not be used to harvest blood.

Sitting so that the wound was precisely over the flaming cup, he watched as the blood dripped into the fire.

The dagger slipped from his fingers.

An earth splitting scream shattered the heavens as Nova was unleashed.

Sarx smiled devilishly as he began to fall backward, his head impacting the stone floor.

He lay dead, the goblets arranged around him, each one burning with its own respective color.

Far above the tower, amidst swirling red clouds, Nova was being called into the mortal realm.

First its energy was birthed into existence; an icy blue fire. Gradually, the fire began to take on shape, forming a serpentine body with a long, slender neck, and gigantic wings.

At the ends of the wings were clawed hands, their fingers opening and closing rapidly as if suffering from epilepsy.

Nova released a titanic roar as its flesh was born into the world. Covering the energy, ice blue and navy blue scales covered powerful muscles. Thunder clapped in commemoration of the monster's birth.

The dragon's eyes were composed of obsidian fire, in sharp contrast to its cobalt body. The hands stopped their movement, as the wings began to slowly beat, creating powerful winds that threw sand and dust into the air far below.

Its long tail ended with a blunt protrusion, which resembled a gigantic sledge-hammer, and was likely employed in the same manner. Unlike the typical hammer however, this blunt thickness sparked and crackled like a live-wire.

Its body was alive with electricity, bolts of lightning flowing between its arms, legs and chest. Its roar boomed like thunder, and within its flaming eyes was the unmistakable thirst of insatiable blood-lust.

As Nova circled what was left of the tower and roared, a figure in black robes approached the ruins. Glancing at the dragon and then at the remains of the tower, he reached out his hand, flexing his fingers.

At his command, an assortment of rubble floated up into the air and was thrown to the side, rocks easily larger than him tossed away like feathers.

This left a gaping opening in the tower ruins. Never rushing for a moment, he kept his poise, walking slowly to the hole and into the rooms beyond.

Coming into the dark interior, he continued his slow, purposeful stride until he came to a warped piece of metal that blocked his path.

Whisking it out of the way with his mysterious powers, he entered Sarx's deathbed, and Algos' battleground.

He stood there wordlessly in the pool of scarlet water, gazing at the goblets and Sarx's corpse. Crossing his arms so that the white flame marks on his robe's sleaves met, he released a short, cynical laugh, which was devoid of any mirth.

"He brought others back from the dead, but he couldn't avoid it himself. Pathetic." With only this as a commentary to the wolf's success at releasing Nova, the dark figure raised a hand, causing the seven goblets to jolt into the air at his command.

They all gathered around him, circling him like a halo. Motioning at Sarx's body, he also caused it to levitate, floating idly near him.

Then, without so much as another word, he turned and left the tower, the goblets and the corpse obediently following him like well trained dogs.

The next moment, he was gone from sight, as though he had never been there at all.

Above, in the heavens, Nova was flying straight upwards, towards the clouds. Releasing a frightening roar, it burst into its targeted cloud, snarling as it absorbed the water vapor's electric charge.

Bellowing ravenously, it raced for another one, beating its mighty wings at an incredible speed.

Devouring the energy of a second cloud, it half laughed half roared, electric power leaping off its titanic body.

Wheeling around, it spied a thunderstorm, and charged at it. Its velocity reached subsonic levels as it screeched, diving through the dark clouds and consuming all the lightning.

It was nearly ready now. It just needed a little more power. The dragon reached out, searching for any sources of massive amounts of electric power.

With a snarl it found a target, and wheeled around, making a huge circle in the sky. Soon reaching its top speed, it beat its wings with a furious speed, and grinned devilishly, as it passed over first the tower remnants, and then Chaos and Algos.

They had seen it unleashed, but had mostly been in disbelief and shock until it passed over again, soon leaving them behind in a dust-cloud.

Just as it was about three hundred feet away from them, the roar of engines could be heard, as several distant specks began growing larger. The beast looked over at the source of the noise and frowned as a squadron of military jets began approaching.

Apparently, G.U.N. had picked up Nova when it had first appeared on radar, and had sent some fighters to investigate.

Chaos looked up at the scene and prayed they would all flee. No such luck.

The fighters came screaming in, machine guns blazing, as Nova charged its power.

Unleashing a bolt of lightning, Nova lasted out with its tail, simultaneously destroying two of the by comparison tiny planes.

The remaining jets circled around, firing rockets and pelting the giant dragon in machine gun fire.

Within a matter of seconds, six of the jets were lit aflame and exploded with Nova's electric projectiles, leaving only four remaining.

Grabbing one of the jets as it passed in its titanic jaws, Nova easily bit through the steel, chewing it into a wad as if it were nothing more than a gum wrapper.

After a quick gulp, the plane was no more. The other three planes turned around, fearfully trying to escape the wrath of the demonic dragon.

A lightning bolt fried the left hand one, leaving it a sparking piece of smoldering metal.

Two out of twelve planes escaped, and not a scratch was on Nova.

But the dragon continued following them. It was slower than them, but it could see what direction they had gone in, and it followed their trail. Thanks to their exhaust, it now knew exactly where to find the local G.U.N. command.

Havoc would be pleased at the destruction it would cause.

Far below as it flew off, Chaos and Algos frantically rushed towards the spot Chaos had seen Tails' hovercraft land at, to meet up with the others. Chaos had explained to his companion that somehow, Nova had been unleashed, and it would take all their strength to stop it.

But with the unknown fate of the bearer of the Griffon, and the current state of their group, Chaos began to wonder if they would be able to survive.

As it was always said, cycles have a tendency of breaking. Perhaps it was finally the time for the cycle to break.

Quickly casting such thoughts from his mind, he decided to simply focus on the task as hand, just as he and Algos surmounted a hill, and saw Sonic and the others all exclaiming at Nova's passing.

It would be a long battle. Perhaps they would not all make it.

But they had to try.

Author's Note: To the reader "Shadow1371" I would have replied to your message, but you've disabled the private messaging feature. Go into your control panel and activate private messages and I'd be happy to talk with you.


	89. The Griffon Revived

**Chapter 89- The Griffon Revived**

Chaos and Algos were received with expectancy and worry.

"Did you guys see that?" Tails said in shock.

"That was Nova... it is as I feared," Tikal said quietly.

Everyone already knew, or at least, had guessed this, but to hear the princess state it as one hundred percent, absolute fact was stunning. And at the same time, one question lingered in the back of everyone's mind.

"But we defeated Sarx. How did Nova get unleashed?" Knuckles voiced all their concerns, his brow furrowed.

"Indeed we did big guy. We also forgot the goblets. Some other person could have lit the last flame," Chaos responded with a shrug, his outside demeanor not reflecting his inner turmoil.

"Should we go back and get them?" Amy asked timidly, breaking an uncomfortable silence that followed Chaos' remarks.

"No time now. We got a world destroying dragon to worry about. 'Sides, if someone lit the goblet, that means they took it with them," Sonic answered, while gazing in the direction Nova had flown.

"You know, for once, Sonic's logic is spot on," Knuckles smirked, while nodding. Sonic made a mock wounded facial expression, while Chaos made a throat clearing sound to get their attention. They all continued their small talk.

He repeated the action twice as loud, prompting them to stop.

"We don't have much time, and I've got something very important to say. Scrawny, over on the other side of the tower is Shadow. But I looked at him, and he's either dead, or out cold. Really cold," Chaos explained, Sonic nodded, his eyes intent, and waited for Chaos to continue. "Eclipse is gone. I don't know if he survived, or if his body was removed, but he's gone. There's nothing that can be done about that, but we'll have to pass by Shadow later on our way to go after Nova. I felt you should be told beforehand."

Chaos' speech left a profound silence over all of them, and a good degree of worry. Without the Griffon, the fight would be hard enough, but without the Cerberus... they probably wouldn't even be able to match Nova's strength.

Rouge, who had by now awakened, was nearly on the verge of tears at the news that Shadow could be dead, and the younger team members were all visibly distraught, while those who had seen more death in their lifetimes were simply contemplative.

But from the look in Sonic's eyes, you could tell that he had complete and total faith that Shadow was alive. He hadn't even reacted when Chaos had stated the possibility, almost as if his brain had simply filtered it out because he considered the suggestion ridiculous.

He had fought him before and witnessed his strength. And from their recent encounter with him, it was obvious that he was in a whole other league now.

"Alright, let's go. There's no time to waste." Silver reminded them, despite seeing Rouge's stifled reaction.

The others nodded, as they all turned to follow Nova. Boarding the Tornado, they found that there was no room for Algos.

"How are you going to get there?" Amy asked quizzically.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be right behind you," he answered. Despite a raised brow, she nodded, as the Tornado took off. Turning back, she saw a cloud of sand racing after them, following their every move.

Gasping with the realization that Algos had transformed his body into sand in order to slipstream them, she smiled slightly at the sight.

Amidst the noise of the engine and the relative noisiness of the plane's occupants, Tikal was quiet.

She felt a great power reaching out to her, trying to link to her soul, and she was desperately trying to reach back, hoping perhaps that some powerful ally was trying to contact her.

-

_A blazing energy filled her, as she was whisked out of the plane, surrounded by a shining light, everywhere she turned. She gasped as a gigantic mirror appeared in front of her, the light surrounding her gleaming off its reflective surface. _

_ From within the depths of the mirror was the form of the Griffon, a mighty lion with the head and wings of an eagle, its shining, wise eyes staring at her. _

_ Immediately bowing reverently to the ancient beast, she looked into its eyes, and spoke. _

_ "Griffon... I thought that you were within Eclipse..." she said timidly, not breaking eye contact with the beast once she made it. _

_ "__**I was within Eclipse. But I am no longer. Now there is need for a new Incarnation, especially since Nova has been unleashed,**__"____the lion of light responded, its eyes sparkling with a wisdom beyond comprehension. _

_ "I understand. But to choose me as your vessel..." she trailed off, her head bowed in both respect and uncertainty. _

_ "__**I chose you, did I not? Do you doubt my judgement? Have faith! You will need it if Nova is to be defeated,**__"____came the Griffon's scolding response. _

_ "I... I am sorry." _

_ "__**You need not fear. Your heart is pure, and you will have power over light that not many of my hosts have possessed.**__"___

___Responding with a nod, Tikal gasped as she felt the power of the Griffon flow into her. It was an incredible heat, but not like fire, that only warms the outside of your body. _

_ The heat Tikal experienced was like being filled with fire, as if the very blood in her veins had been replaced with magma. _

_ "__**Tell the Chimera bearer that his dark friend lives.**__"_

__-

Tikal awoke from her trance with a start, surprising those around her.

"What's up Princess?" Chaos yelled over the engine.

"I've received the Griffon. I am the new incarnation of light," Tikal replied, causing everyone to gasp. Knuckles then stated the obvious that no-one wanted to acknowledge.

"Then we can only assume that Eclipse is dead."

"It certainly seems that way," Blaze nodded, as all eyes turned to Tikal, who had begun speaking a half beat before Blaze even finished.

"There's something else. The Griffon says that Shadow is alive." Sonic seemed unsurprised by this, even a little bit smug, but everyone else experienced various reactions, ranging from shock to worry. As for Rouge, she was relieved beyond words.

"You think we can count on him to help us?" Silver asked, "With Eclipse dead I mean."

"Not if we leave him here. He has no idea that Nova's been unleashed, even if he cares about that. Take the plane down, we have to pick him up," Sonic ordered, causing Tails to begun to wheel around, and lower the plane.

"Sonic, we don't have time for your hero act now. Shadow will help us if he wants to and won't if he doesn't. Keep the plane up," Knuckles countered.

Tails raised the plane.

"I'm not leaving him behind! Mephiles will probably return for him, and our chance will be gone. Take the plane down!" Confused, Tails sighed impatiently and rubbed his head in frustration.

"We've got to keep going!" Knuckles insisted, while the others stared at the confrontation.

"Either you take this plane down, or I'm jumping out." Knuckles sighed and shot a death-glare at Sonic, before turning to Tails.

"It's obvious this bastard won't compromise. Go ahead and take the plane down Tails."

"My flipping God! Will you people make up your minds!" he shouted, surprising Knuckles.

"Ha, Short Stuff's got some balls! Don't mess with the little fuzzy guy. I like it," Chaos commented, as the plane began to lower. Sonic laughed at this, while his crimson companion sulked.

When the place touched down, no sooner had the landing gear hit the ground than Sonic and Rouge were out of the plane and rushing for the tower. The others stayed behind, while Tikal was still immersed in the fact that she was the new Griffon.

Then, she remembered something Mephiles had said once.

_Flashback_

_The demon chuckled, his mouth twisting into a fanged grin, showing off rows of dagger-like teeth. "I believe Shadow made it perfectly clear that he had no intention of associating himself with you fools any longer."_

_ "Demon of time," Tikal interjected, moving up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Sonic. "Return the dark one immediately! You know what will happen to this world if you do not."_

_ At the sight of the echidna princess, Mephiles lost all sense of amusement, his mouth twisting into a dark frown. "A replacement? I did not expect to see you here, has one of them died after all?"_

_End Flashback_

At the time, she hadn't understood what he meant by that, but now it was more clear.

_'I was selected as the replacement for the Griffon a long time ago... But that means that the Griffon knew that he would have to pick someone... But how did Mephiles find out?' _She mused, as Knuckles continued quietly grumbling.

"It's a damn good thing that this plane is faster than Nova, cause if we were walking, the whole world would be destroyed before we got the chance to fight it," the echidna muttered.

"But if Shadow's participation ensures our victory, then it may be worth it!" Tails defended, generally sticking by whatever Sonic said.

Blaze quietly nodded her head at the boy's logic, while Tikal remained in her own little world.

_'And another thing... If there were members of Sarx's organization at Mephiles' lair, why did Mephiles send Shadow to kill Eclipse?' _she wondered, her memories of their last encounter with the demon of time returning to her.

"You okay Princess? You're looking a little pale, not at all like your pretty self," Chaos commented, his protective nature shining through.

"I will be fine. I'm just a little short of breath," she lied, while smiling slightly.

"If you say so." Turning away from the sky blue echidna, the princess frowned, as her thoughts turned to the battle ahead. Now they had the Griffon, but what if Shadow decided not to help them? Could they defeat Nova with only six incarnations?

It was a daring thing to attempt. But what if Mephiles reappeared to claim Shadow, attacking them at the same time as the Titan Beast?

Impossible odds, her cynical side said. The next moment, her beast quieted her with another fierce scolding.

**'Nothing is impossible if you trust in the light. Now, embrace your destiny, and do not worry. All will be well,'**__the beast said in her mind, speaking only to her, its bearer.

The deep, fatherly voice of the Griffon comforting her, she mustered her courage, and mentally prepared herself for the battle ahead.


	90. Fallen Friend

**Chapter 90- Fallen Friend**

Sonic blazed over the sands at top speed, throwing up a trail that Rouge had to dodge to avoid receiving an eyeful of sand, much like two years ago, when they were hunting Algos. The tower ahead lay in ruins, and in the distance behind him sat the Tornado, the others anxiously awaiting their return.

Coming upon the derelict base he made a sharp turn, circling around the tower's remains and skidding to a stop on the other side of the destroyed structure. He overshot by several feet, sliding past his target and landing face first in the sand.

Sputtering and short of breath, he brushed himself off, and rose to his feet. Surely enough, the scene was just as Chaos described it.

Shadow's black and red form lay face down in the sand, his arms and legs sprawled out. There was blood staining his surroundings, scars of battle, and the destroyed tower. Everything was there, except Eclipse.

Rouge arrived just then, her breathing heavy and her eyes holding an emotion Sonic didn't recognize. Coming upon the scene, she gasped and rushed over to Shadow, whereas the blue hero stood back and watched quietly, his expression neutral.

Immediately turning the ebony hedgehog over so that he faced upwards, Rouge surveyed his battle wounds with a frown of worry creasing her lips. His fight with Eclipse had been a brutal one to say the least, and had not left him in good shape.Cuts, bruises, and blood covered his prostrate form, and his pulse seemed erratic, even faint. From looking at him, it was obvious that the betrayer was blacked out. Now was their only chance.

"I hope he isn't hurt too badly," Rouge said in concern, as she and Sonic sat him up.

"This _is _Shadow we're talking about. He'll make it. But what about Eclipse?" Sonic said quietly, unaware of the meaning the murderous hedgehog held to Rouge.

"Some of the organization must have taken his body," she said, as the memory of Eclipse's final words to her came flooding back.

"But they left Shadow here... What could it all mean?" he wondered aloud, his eyes unusually dark at this mysterious turn of events.

There was a tense, quiet moment, where only the stirring of the wind made sound, as if to answer his question in its howling voice. It whipped around the dunes, throwing sand up in the air and lightly caressing Sonic with its icy grasp, like fingers of doubt clenching around his heart. Glancing down at the fallen form of Shadow, and then Rouge's shimmering aquamarine eyes, the cerulean hero released a long sigh, and Rouge made her response.

"No time to worry about that now. We've got to get back to the others," she said as she attempted to lift Shadow. Discovering that he was heavier than he looked, she faltered, his body slipping from her grasp. This mirrored how he'd always slipped away from her. Just as he was about to plummet from he fingers, she was helped by Sonic, who smiled at her slightly, seeming to grasp the metaphor. A silent communication passed between the two.

Neither Rouge nor Sonic alone could bring Shadow back. But when one of them faltered, the other would be there to help, to never stop pushing and straining against the odds. Their teamwork got him off the ground.

"I should probably carry him," Sonic said, taking Shadow and swinging him so that his legs were dangling over the side of his arm in an undignified fashion.

"What do you think he'll do now that Eclipse is..." Rouge trailed of as they began to make their way back to the Tornado. Hindered by Shadow, Sonic was unable to run as fast as he normally could, and rationalizing that they couldn't take off until Rouge got there anyways, he kept pace with her, and continued their conversation.

"Who knows?" he replied slowly, as they raced through the sand. Soon, the remains of the tower were behind them, and they drew up to the Tornado. Shadow still in his arms, Sonic managed to climb up onto the unoccupied left wing, and Rouge, watching Sonic carefully to make sure he didn't drop his load, got into the empty seat.

No sooner had Sonic stabilized himself than Tails pulled the plane up into the sky and began accelerating, flying as quickly as was safe in the direction Nova had gone.

"So now that we're one big happy family again, anyone have any ideas where Nova was going?" Knuckles asked irritably, while glancing back at Sonic.

"I'm no expert, but it's my guess that he'd be drawn to population centers, where there's the most potential for destruction," Tails replied, not realizing that Knuckles had intended the remark as a jab to Sonic.

"Any nearby cities?" Blaze asked, her brow furrowed in concern.

"There's Central City, and it's... right in the direction Nova went." Knuckles realized with a start, his eyes widening in horror.

"Hey guys, is it just me, or did Nova have some ability to absorb electricity?" The ivory huntress asked tentatively, voicing a concern they had all been thinking about.

"Yeah, I noticed that too. And I'm pretty sure Central City has a power plant..." The crimson echidna stated grimly.

"These things are irrelevant. We have all seven incarnations," Tikal said in response to the dark mood.

"But will that be enough? Did you see that thing take down those jets?" The cerulean hero said worriedly, while shifting Shadow's weight.

"The Griffon has told me that we can win the battle. And he is not known for giving out compliments or encouragement lightly. I am confident that we will prevail."

Now the sandy terrain had been replaced by splotches of green, with trees reaching up to scrape the sky every now and then. The tips of the tallest ones were a mere dozen or so feet below the aircraft, and boulders scattered here and there completed the open feel.

In the far distance, at the very edge of the horizon, they could see a speck in the sapphire sky and to their dismay, they realized a terrible truth. That speck was Nova.

The dragon was far ahead of them, and would undoubtedly get to the city before they caught up. This would give it a head start in destroying the city, a disadvantage they didn't need, if the legends of the beast's power were true.

"That's no good!" Sonic shouted as he realized this, startling Tails.

"No, we have time. We can stop and pick up Shadow. Never mind that he'll probably take off the moment he comes to, let's just take a chance, and bet the world on your childish hunch," Knuckles said sarcastically, earning a venomous glare from Sonic.

"Stop fighting!" Amy yelled at them, surprising them both. "If we want to defeat Nova, we need to work together, especially you guys with beasts." Sonic and Knuckles stared at each other for a moment venom still lurking in their eyes. Gradually, the ice thawed from their stares, and they simultaneously released a long sigh, and nodded.

"Flower has wisdom beyond her years. Perhaps you two should take a lesson from her," Chaos grinned, earning an annoyed grunt from Knuckles. Amy blushed at this compliment, and luckily Sonic didn't notice.

While they had been occupied, Tails had floored it, and the speck was now a small dragon outline.

"We're getting closer..." Silver said in anticipation. The sand that surrounded Sarx's Tower (or at least, what was left of it) had now totally disappeared, making way for lush green grass that rose and fell in mounds and hills.

"Sonic, I'm going to use a turbo. It'll increase our speed substantially, but I need you and Knuckles to hold on." Tails shouted to be sure that the two who were riding on the wings could hear him.

"Do whatever it takes Tails, we're ready," the crimson guardian replied, while Sonic nodded. Bracing himself for the surge in speed that was about to come, Tails raised his finger, and pushed the button labeled boost.

The engines flared, their flame becoming longer, and turning a brilliant shade of sky blue, matching the coloring of the lord of destruction. The jet roared, as it shot forward like nothing more than a blur, reminiscent of the blue hedgehog himself. Sonic was used to speeds such as this, but he had to hold on to the wing, and rely on their forward motion to push Shadow against him and keep him from falling off.

Knuckles of course had no trouble once he grabbed on, but to their surprise, the boost just continued, rather than enabling increased speeds for a short period of time. Their surroundings became a mess of blurred colors, as the speck continued enlarging.

First it was just a miniscule serpentine outline filled with black. Gradually as it grew bigger, the black became different shades of blue, and the outline became a larger blob.

Then the blob became a distinguishable shape, as the monstrous dragon became clearly visible. The extra speed they had gained from the turbo boost meant that Tails had to shut it off and start braking earlier so that they wouldn't have to crash land in the city, forcing him to land a short distance outside.

Gradually they slowed, the tremendous momentum of the boost carrying them. Their elevation dropped, the plane's landing sequence initiated.

Slowing to a mere crawl, Tails put the plane down on a grassy knoll about an eighth of a mile outside the city.

The heroes all began to exit the plane, each and every one staring at the dragon in the sky, lightning leaping off its massive form to strike the city below.

Within the city, not a single light was lit, as when it had first arrived, Nova had drained the entire sprawling metropolis of its electrical power, increasing its own strength substantially, and causing innumerable accidents and traffic jams. Escape from the city would be difficult for any civilians inside.

Shadow's weight was beginning to plague the speed demon, and so the hero absently set him down on the hilltop, as the heroes gazed out at the city.  
"This is it. A battle with the first Titan Beast," Knuckles said solemnly as he stared up at the sky, his amethyst eyes reflecting the light of Nova's fury..

Nodding in agreement, Sonic motioned for the rest of them to follow him, and began making a b-line for the city. Pacing himself so that the rest of them could keep up, the blue hero gazed at the beast with a slight smirk on his face.

Just as he had intended, he was followed by the rest of the heroes, each of them with a different expression, a different way of mentally preparing for the battle.

Knuckles was quietly focussing on inner strength, not quite meditating, but something similar to it.

Rouge was thinking about what she was fighting for, for the world (and the jewels in it), for freedom and truth... and Shadow.

Silver was mustering his determination, hoping against hope that he could prevent the future from being destroyed.

Chaos was simply preparing himself by thinking of how much fun it would be to fight such a worthy opponent, one more powerful than any other he'd faced before.

Tikal was thinking back to the words of the Griffon, trying her hardest to have confidence.

Amy was worrying that she wouldn't be any help in the fight against Nova, but knowing that her complete faith was in Sonic and the others.

Tails was more or less thinking the same thing as Amy, without quite so much emphasis on Sonic, and how cute he was when he was battling world destroying demons.

Blaze was pure determination, her willpower strengthening her.

Algos was just thinking that he wasn't going to let the world be destroyed, because then he wouldn't have anyone to terrorize. And plus he thought that dying would suck.

As they rushed up to the edge of the city, the group of heroes inhaled, and stepped inside onto the streets.

A beat.

Lightning roared down from the sky, falling dangerously close to them and throwing up pebbles where it struck the pavement.

Needing no other indication of their danger, the group prepared itself just in time as another volley of electric projectiles zoomed towards them.

Having moved out of the way, the attacks all missed, but it was obvious to them that Nova knew they were here.

Unfortunately, now that they were within the city, they could no longer see Nova.

However, they did see innumerable military jets and helicopters fly overhead, undoubtedly to combat the dragon.

The group released a cheer at its passing, hoping that G.U.N. would at the least be able to occupy the monster until they could arrive.

"We need to find a safe place where we can unlock our incarnations but where we can see Nova..." Silver stated, his logic ringing true.

"What about on top of a skyscraper. You'd be able to see Nova for sure," Tails commented, earning nods of approval and a pat on the back from Sonic.

"Sounds like a plan to me. But uh, I don't think the elevators will be working..." the cerulean hedgehog muttered.

Wordlessly, Algos turned and formed a platform of sand big enough for all of them to stand on, and stepped onto it. He then stared at the rest of them with his haunting cerulean eyes, practically daring one of them to suggest something else. No-one spoke up. Taking their cue, the rest of the group all stepped up onto Algos' makeshift lift, and prepared to ascend.

Wasting no time in raising it high into the air, Amy squealed slightly in surprise as Algos quickly brought it above the tops of the towers, where they could look out and see the entire city. They hung in mid-air a moment, the heroes peering over the side to see the streets and houses hundreds of feet below.

Lowering it onto the nearest skyscraper rooftop, Algos dissolved the sand platform after everyone had stepped off, allowing them to examine their staging area.

It had enough space for their purposes, and the height gave them a spot from which to spectate the battle.

Nova could clearly be seen, as the military jets they had seen earlier raced around it, pelting it in machine gun fire and missiles. Their attacks seemed not to affect the colossal dragon, who replied with thundering roars and electric attacks that sent the planes crashing to the ground as molten heaps of steel.

The true battle had not yet begun.


	91. A City in Flames

**Chapter 91- A City in Flames**

As the heroes were atop a tower, preparing for the battle, G.U.N. was occupying Nova. They had sent all available forces to the city, amassing a fleet of several hundred military jets and choppers.

On the ground, countless soldiers set up turrets and artillery positions, while still more reinforcements arrived in a continuous stream. In the center of this flood of steel and flesh was Nova, electricity leaping off its body and destroying anything that got close.

The attacking jets pelted its mighty, twisting form in bullets, and then unleashed a salvo of rockets, causing the monster to scream in pain.

Opening its mouth wide, Nova unleashed a huge sparking attack, which impacted five of the jets, sending them crashing through the glass windows of nearby skyscrapers, their engines setting countless papers and humans on fire as they met their fiery ends within their engines' explosion.

Below, the screams of civilians could be heard as they saw the monstrous beast and fled, and building after building was demolished amidst the battle, tumbling to the ground to form warped rubble, shattered glass intermixed with blood and severed bodies, melted, bent steel contorted and shattered, and cracked pavement alive with severed power lines and smashed cars.

Blocking out the sky were the swarms of military jets and helicopters, all of them unleashing their furious barrage upon the Titan Beast, their numbers diminishing by the second with each electrical blast.

Another salvo of missiles headed for the monstrous demon, but it managed to detonate the majority of them before they got close by launching an electric arc at them, sending the missiles spiraling off course and exploding wildly in mid-air like demented fireworks. After the missile salvo was finished, and the planes had left to turn around for their next pass, a moment of silence hung in the air as the dragon simply floated there, expecting attack.

To answer its suspicions, a tank mortar collided with its body, searing off a chunk of flesh in a blinding explosion, earning a mighty scream that shook the heavens.

The monster retaliated furiously, swooping down at incredible speeds and smashing any aircraft that blocked its path. Gliding over the rubble covered ground, it soared over and snatched the unprepared tank up in its massive claws, piercing through the armor plated hull in a second.

Hurling the metal ruins aside like nothing more than a broken toy, the monster preceded to rain down lightning on the troops stationed below, a devilish grin bending its serrated teeth. The G.U.N. troopers valiantly stood their ground, fighting with everything they had, machine guns, RPGs, and sniper rifles all firing at Nova at maximum capacity.

Any bullet they attacked it with simply bounced off like a bothersome mosquito, not affecting it in the slightest. A trio of half-tracks thundered over a ruined building, firing off laser cannons the moment Nova came within range. Scarlet beams of light collided with the dragon's flesh, sending up trails of smoke as they struck.

The Titan Beast screamed in pain, and wrathfully turned towards the new attackers. Ignoring the attempts of the jets surrounding it, Nova inhaled sharply, opening its great maw to reveal massive, razor sharp teeth.

A blinding obsidian light gathered in its open mouth, sparking with a hellish fury. Nova's head shot forward, and a colossal ebony lightning bolt leapt out of the energy orb. The bolt struck the ground in the middle of the group of half-tracks, creating an explosion that began expanding outwards from its point of impact. The inferno devoured the vehicles in a second, and still clawed up, growing as the ground shook. A nearby building was caught in its fury, and a huge hole was blown in the wall, sending shattered glass and sharp chunks of metal flying.

The cerulean dragon reveled in this destruction for a moment, and then returned its attention to the planes circling it. Throwing a huge wind with its mighty wings, it sent several of the jets spiraling and crashing to earth. These struck a few of the soldiers scattered on the ground at high speed, killing them instantly.

Only a couple dozen aircraft remained. The battle became chaos. These few surviving planes were blasted from the sky, sending them crashing through panes of glass and the roofs of abandoned homes and stores. Lightning lashed out and struck a jeep, combusting the engine and hurling the wreckage through the air. The soldiers on the ground cowered and fled, their screams cut short as they were electrocuted.

Now that it stood unopposed, Nova released a roar, and resumed its destruction of the city. Meanwhile, the six incarnations were making their final preparations for the battle ahead.

"Amy, I want you to stay out of this fight. Nova is too strong," Sonic said quietly.

"Trying to get rid of me?" she snapped. "I won't leave you Sonic. I'm not useless."

"Nobody is accusing you, Flower. We just don't want you to get hurt," Chaos explained, much to the irritation of the azure hedgehog. A tense moment passed, before finally Amy nodded in defeat.

"Blaze, protect Amy and Tails. Take them some place where they'll be safe," Silver instructed, earning a silent nod from his feline companion. Blaze motioned for them to follow her, and led them from the rooftop to the stairway that spiraled down the innards of the building. The last second before he disappeared, Tails flashed Sonic a toothy grin, and a thumbs up which most likely was meant to indicate that he believed in them.

"He turned out just like you..." Knuckles smirked in disbelief.

"Yeah. -Sniff- I'm so proud," Sonic smiled. There was a moment of silence where only the distant sounds of Nova's rampage could be heard as the group turned to face the monstrous demon.

"So Shadow hasn't awoken yet," Tikal stated grimly.

"We'll just have to challenge Nova without him. No sense in waiting until there's nothing left to save," Knuckles answered flatly. Their conversation was interrupted by the noise drowning sound of rotating helicopter blades, and they all turned to look for the source of the commotion. There, floating just above the rooftop was a G.U.N. helicopter, its blades gradually slowing as it touched down.

Not knowing what this could mean, the heroes stared in surprise at the new arrival. The door opened and out stepped the G.U.N. Commander, his facial expression a lifeless mask of exhaustion and frustration. He looked as if he'd aged far more than the years that had passed since the Black Arms invasion, his brow creased by deep trench-like crevices, and dark circles underneath blood-shot eyes, contrasting with pallid, almost translucent skin.

Sonic couldn't help but notice this, and looked away the next second. He looked like a walking corpse, as if a wind would pass by and he'd float away.

"What's up?" Sonic asked as the officer approached him, his gaze like stone, intent and determined.

"I have dire news. I heard you had arrived, and so I bought you some time, but you have to hurry," the Commander frowned, his voice slightly gravely and breathy, with coughs interspersed with his words.

"Bought us some time? What do you mean?" Silver asked. Algos narrowed his eyes and watched in silence. The moment the helicopter bearing the G.U.N. emblem on it had approached, he had fallen to the back of the group and glared quietly at the Commander.

"There's not time to explain everything now, but when our forces failed to defeat the monster, the Joint Chief of Staff decided that it would employ any means necessary to stop it. They were going to nuke the city," he revealed, earning reactions of anger and surprise from the heroes. "But I got them to give you a chance to stop the beast before they launched missiles."

The incarnations and the god stood in stunned silence for a moment, before the sounds of the city slowly burning motivated them to action.

"Thanks. We owe you one," Sonic nodded, his way of saying he would try his best. The Commander coughed violently, causing a thin trail of blood to drip down his chin. He wiped this off with a handkerchief, gave him a wry smile that only revealed even more wrinkles, and turned to leave.

"Good luck. All our fates rest on you... again," he said softly. But he wasn't looking at any of the others who were on top of the building. He was staring at a hill outside the city, where a black form lay motionless.

Stepping back into the helicopter, he flew away into the distance, leaving them on the roof top. There was a silence that hung over the group, as Sonic looked to where the Commander's gaze had fallen.

"It'll take awhile for us all to access our beasts... We'll need a distraction," Algos said, reminding them he was there, as he'd been completely silent in the Commander's presence.

"Y'know Sandy, I was just thinkin' the same thing. I'll go and fight Nova while you all stay behind and unlock your powers," Chaos replied.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Tikal asked in worry. Chaos released a deep, hearty chuckle, then tousled her hair, cocked his head to the side, winked and grinned.

"I'm a big boy. Don't you worry your pretty little head Princess. I've been itchin' for a good fight." Sonic nodded, as Tikal stood in shock, a mild red tinge teasing her cheeks. The god of destruction took this as his cue. He rendered a mock salute, and bounded down the side of the building, landing on the ground with an earth shattering boom. Peering over, Knuckles saw nothing but cracked pavement where the sky blue echidna had landed.

Returning to the group, he looked at Sonic and nodded slowly, signaling that it was time. The six heroes gathered in a circle and began concentrating, attempting to reach out to their beasts. The pressure had mounted. If they failed, G.U.N. would use Nuclear Weapons to try to destroy Nova. This would undoubtedly destroy Central City, but as for whether it would kill the Titan Beast, that was another matter.

According to legend, only the power of the Incarnations could defeat Nova, Hydra, or Gigas. The legend had been written when technology was in its infant stages, but from the crushing defeat G.U.N. had just been dealt, it appeared that there was some truth to it.

The fate of millions, perhaps billions of people rested on their success or failure. The knowledge of this harrowing fact made it difficult to concentrate, which in turn bred frustration, and only made matters worse.

Meanwhile, Chaos tried to buy them time, while the clock ticked. He rushed through the ruined city, making his way to the Titan Beast. The remains of destroyed buildings and military equipment littered the ground, and most of the people had already fled, leaving the streets empty and quiet. A ghost town.

The god of destruction darted around a corner to see Nova raining down electric blasts upon the buildings of the city, and his blood boiled. It was anarchy, with pandemonium reigning, and entire city blocks nothing more than ashes and broken stones. Fires blazed, as the screams of the innocent echoed on the winds.

And he wasn't the cause of it. Growling at having competition in mastery over mayhem, he scaled a wall, coming to the top of a building to stand on eye level with the Titan Beast. The monstrous dragon stopped its bombardment when it saw the sky blue echidna, staring at him in curiosity. It flew closer and closer, until it hovered directly in front of the titanic warrior.

"How's it goin' Sparks? How long has it been nine, ten millennia?" Chaos boomed, generating an amazing amount of volume for his comparably small size. Then, proving that it was not a mindless beast, the dragon spoke.

"_**Not nearly long enough little echidna. But when I last saw you, you hadn't taken on this pathetic form,**_" Nova laughed, its wings flapping with a steady rhythm.

"Not all of us need a huge body to drive fear into our enemies and compensate for the fact that we have no control over our fates," the lord of destruction smirked, causing the beast to growl in anger.

"_**You'd not be so cocky if the one I serve were here,**_" it reminded him, a hissing noise escaping its throat. He took this in stride.

"That reminds me, how's the Big Evil Dude been? I hear he's still sealed away. That's gotta suck," the divine echidna countered.

"_**You'd do well to show more respect. The hour of darkness is fast approaching, and once it arrives, Havoc will silence your deluded overconfidence,**_" the demon bellowed, prophesying their downfall.

"When you're sent back to him, take him a message for me. Tell that son of a bitch that the beating you're going to endure is just a sample of what I have in store for him," Chaos grinned as he cracked his knuckles. Nova made no reply, growling in anger and lunging at the tiny echidna, his maw alone dwarfing the god.

Chaos leapt into the air, avoiding being consumed by the demon, and calling a pair of crackling orbs of energy to life within his palms. Nova breathed a thunderbolt at him, but Chaos placed the energy attacks in front of him as a barrier. The projectiles he had been preparing absorbed the electricity, adding it to their power.

Nova slammed the blunt end of its tail down on the rooftop, blowing a hole in it and sending lightning arcing through everything close by. Chaos deftly rolled to the side and avoided the attack, releasing his own the next second in reply.

The lightning infused orb of energy struck the dragon in the eye, causing it to scream in pain. Nova's fiery obsidian orb turned to glare at him as blood seeped from it, and its mouth opened to release a bone chilling roar.

Chaos smirked, as he rose slowly into the air, held high by nothing but the power of his immense energy. Nova turned hatefully towards him, its claws opening and closing as if anxious to pierce his flesh. Thus did the battle between the god and the titan begin.


	92. The Incarnations

**Chapter 92- The Incarnations**

High above the city, an epic battle had begun. The gigantic dragon Nova floated in the sky, its left eye dripping blood. Across from it was the divine echidna, his expression a simple smile. He was enjoying himself.

The Titan Beast drew back its wings and dived for the solitary warrior, sparks leaping off its body. Chaos hurled three successive searing bolts of crimson light at the dragon. They struck the monster, burning off chunks of flesh and earning a high pitched scream of pain.

"This might be easier than I thought," Chaos smirked as he charged forward, drawing his first back in mid-air.

He collided with the dragon, his punch impacting the electrified demon's chest. It responded by roaring and swinging its tail at him, lightning dancing on it. The blunt end struck the god, imparting a burst of electricity and sending a booming sound echoing over the burning city.

Chaos struggled to regain his balance, and squinted in pain from the sheer force of the blow. Nova surged forward, opening its claws to try to grab him. The echidna darted to the side, channeling a scarlet light into his clenched fist. Releasing it a moment later as a cohesive beam, he was surprised when Nova darted to the side to avoid damage.

"Looks like you can move Sparks. How about showing off your aim?" Chaos taunted. The dragon screamed in fury, and opened its jaws. An orb of onyx light collected there, lashing out like a living shadow.

Chaos grinned as the orb expanded, and lightning bolts the color of night leapt off of it, lancing towards him at incredible speed. He weaved right and left, up and down, in and out, dancing in the sky as black light missed him again and again. Nova roared in anger and increased the intensity of its barrage, as Chaos increased his speed. More and more ebony thunderbolts passed by him, heating the air and booming in his ears as they fell to earth.

The god's smirk was still present on his face as he sidestepped every attack the demon sent at him, demonstrating his superior mastery of aerial maneuvering. However, he was slowly becoming fatigued from dodging the monster's barrage, and Nova possessed enough energy to simply send bolts at him all day.

The cocky echidna made a wrong step, missing having his heart speared out by mere inches. This close call was followed by another, as Nova began to figure out his pattern. The black bolts continued to miss by a hairs breadth, managing not to hit their intended target over and over. Finally, the demon hit its mark. Once one of the bolts contacted Chaos, he was held immobile, and Nova took this opportunity to send dozens of bolts into its enemy.  
Obsidian lightning collided with the god, as agony flooded his senses. The unbearable torrent pounded in his skull and tore through his limbs, withholding from him even the ability to scream. He remained there, floating in the sky, torture washing over him repeatedly as darkness clouded his vision and his body went numb.

The world went black as the flood of darkness ended. The lord of destruction fell from the sky like an electrified bomb, his fleshly form failing to withstand the pain of the countless bombardments that had been allowed by a single misstep, and his own overconfidence.

-

From their perch high above the ground, the heroes could've witnessed the god's defeat, but they were concentrating on gaining access to their beasts. It is said that to talk of doing brave things, and to do them are entirely different. Each of them had their own reasons to be be afraid, and to varying degrees, each of them was.

Many people have a mistaken idea that courage is simply not being scared, that a truly brave person is dauntless. But that's incorrect. Courage is knowing that death is near, and being utterly and completely afraid; paralyzed by terror, but doing the right thing despite this, because the compulsion to protect that which is worth dying for is greater than the fear of the odds that must be faced.

Each of the heroes experienced this strange combination of terror and determination. And each, in their turn, stood before the enormous mirrors.

-

_Knuckles was transported from the battle scarred city to a realm where time stood still. He was bathed in scarlet light, which matched his fur color perfectly, and captured the battle going on, the fire burning, and the blood spilled. _

_ He stood directly in front of the giant mirror, gazing into the depths of the inferno. Within it danced an elegant fire, the surprisingly gentle rhythm of its fluctuations calming his nerves. The fire took shape, formed feathers, wings, body and beak, until the Phoenix was clearly visible. _

_ "__**So Nova has been unleashed,**__" she noted quietly. _

_ "Indeed, mighty Phoenix. Now I need your aid more than ever," the echidna answered, his tone both respectful and urgent. _

_ "__**Forgive my philosophical nature, but I must hear your answer,**__" the Phoenix said slowly. "__**Why must Nova be stopped?**__"_

_ Knuckles stood there in silence for a moment, staring into the ancient eyes of the flaming bird. _

_ "To protect the innocent life that will be lost if it is allowed to do as it pleases," Knuckles stated simply. The beast looked at him a moment, as if evaluating his answer. _

_ "__**You never cease to impress me Guardian,**__" she said slowly, as the mirror began to crack. "__**Receive the power of my inner fire.**__"_

_ The mirror shattered, as tendrils of crimson reached out and engulfed Knuckles. _

_ -_

While Knuckles was releasing the Phoenix, Algos was transported in front of his own mirror.

-

_Sand and earth shifted with an uneven beat, slithering around Algos' feet and the base of the mirror. Algos quietly stared at the silvery gateway, his expression intense. Staring back at him was the brown and red form of the Dragon, its jaws open in a smug smile. _

_ "__**So Algos, the time has come,**__" the beast smirked. _

_ "It has. Grant me your powers, so that I can get this over with," the sand brown hedgehog replied simply. _

_ "__**A bit anxious, aren't you? What are you intending to do once Nova is defeated?**__" the Dragon asked in surprise. _

_ "Go back to what I was doing before all this. With your powers at my disposal," Algos said flatly, while staring directly at his beast. _

_ The monstrous form eyed him, his lips quivering slightly, as his eyes shone. "__**Whatever you decide to do, I'll be your ally,**__" the Dragon thundered. "__**For now, focus on the battle ahead.**__"_

_ When the mythic beast finished speaking, the mirror burst open, burying Algos under a mountain of dirt and sand. As the granules filled his lungs, the power of the earth entered him. _

_ -_

Algos returned to the mortal realm to see Rouge deep within the process of accessing her Zero Stage.

-

_Rouge found herself experiencing the eerie sensation of breathing water and not drowning. Within the depths writhed streaks of azure light, barely illuminating the mirror. Lidless, inhuman irises sat upon the Basilisk's serpentine body, and eyed her with their piercing gaze. Rouge found it difficult to suppress a shiver upon meeting their stare, but to display fear would be a critical error. _

_ "__**You all failed to stop Nova from being unleashed, as I expected,**__" the snake-like creature hissed. _

_ "I need your help to fight it," Rouge replied simply, ignoring the creature's accusatory remark._

_ "__**How can I be sure you won't fail at this as well?**__" the Basilisk frowned, as its three tails lashed back and forth. Rouge was silent in response to this question, not sure what to say. Finally, she simply determined to answer completely truthfully. _

_ "You can't be. But of one thing you can be sure. With or without your help, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop Nova."_

_ The serpent of the deep stared at her, its eyes empty. Gradually, its frown twisted and turned, bending to form an almost sinister grin. _

_ "__**That's exactly what I wanted to hear. That you'd give it your all,**__" the beast explained with an alien laugh. Rouge nodded, as the streaks of blue light swam towards her, circling her like sharks smelling blood. _

_ "__**Cerberus' bearer doesn't know what he threw away,**__" it chuckled. "__**You have both passion and conviction. Truly beautiful inside and out.**__"_

_ The streams of power inched closer as the mirror cracked. Rouge was in stunned silence at what this seemingly emotionless creature had said. The energy wrapped around her as the mirror shattered, and the Basilisk enveloped her. _

_ "__**Hold your head high Rouge, you are the Third Incarnation.**__"_

_ -_

While Rouge was awaking to the haunting echo of Eclipse's whispered words in her mind, Silver was undergoing his own transformation.

-

_Silver stood on an emerald hilltop, a light breeze swirling around him and parting the blades of grass. Before him floated the colossal mirror, held aloft by the same breeze. Residing within it was the bird of the winds, the legendary Wyvern. Its snake-like body seemed immaterial, as if it were composed partly of the wind itself, and was not completely solid. _

_ "__**Greetings Incarnation. Are you prepared to face the situation at hand?**__" the Wyvern breathed, a light wind caressing Silver with each word. _

_ "I'm not sure..." he admitted with a slight frown. A gentle breeze lifted the hedgehog's eyes back to the mirror._

_ "__**Don't be afraid. I ask nothing of you except that you try with all your strength,**__" the Wyvern said gently, as the roaming breeze gathered around the ivory warrior. _

_ "I will," Silver nodded, as the mighty wind wrapped around him like a blanket of air. It was strong yet gentle, refreshing yet warm, unlike natural wind. Then it occurred to Silver what was happening. The Wyvern was breathing on him... _

_ No... _into_ him. _

_ The mirror broke, and a gale unlike any other the hedgehog had ever experienced poured over him. He was engulfed in a grassy green light, as he heard the sound of the mighty beast exhaling into him booming in his ears. _

_ -_

As Silver finished receiving the Wyvern's breath, Tikal was calling upon the Griffon.

-

_The blinding light surrounded her, as Tikal was torn from the mortal realm and placed before the mirror of holiness. Bowing once more before the beast of heaven's might, she did not wait for him to address her, and spoke first. _

_ "Forgive me Great One, for allowing Nova to be unleashed," she pleaded. _

_ "__**Peace, child. You did all that you could,**__" the lion with eagle's wings and head said quietly, a solemn look on his face. _

_ "Mighty Griffon, I beg you to lend me your power so that I may help to reseal the evil that has been allowed into this world," the echidna princess said as she slowly stood to her feet. _

_ "__**I will entrust you with as much power as you are capable of wielding,**__" the Griffon nodded, as the mirror cracked open. _

_ Tikal gaped in awe at the pure, holy light that abided within the mirror. The heat flooded through her again, as the shimmering whiteness within the confines of the Griffon's mirror spilled forth, drowning her in a brightness to rival the sun itself. _

_ Divine light indwelled her. _

_ -_

As Tikal left the holy realm to rejoin her companions, she looked to Sonic, the last one to unlock his beast. She breathed a silent prayer that he would hurry.

-

_Sonic was bathed in golden energy as the immortal realm of the Chimera's abode appeared before him. The great golden mirror stood in front of him, the massive form of the beast standing inside it. The lion with three snakes for a tail stared down at him, eyes wide with fury. _

_ "__**Let's teach this infernal worm the meaning of true power!**__" the Chimera thundered. _

_ "You're sounding more like Shadow all the time," the cerulean hero snorted, amused by the beast's ever-present anger. _

_ "__**I am not playing around. You need to be serious, and take it to the next level,**__" the Chimera scolded. _

_ "You think I'm ready for the second stage?" Sonic remarked in reply. _

_ "__**Not just yet. But you will be soon." **__Sonic stared at the mirror, his green eyes dancing. _

_ "I'll hold you to that. You just do your thing, and I'll take care of the rest," Sonic smiled his confidence nearly returned. _

_ "__**Very well. I'll loan you my power.**__" The yellow energy surged into the azure hero, empowering him with the Chimera's might. _

_ -_

Sonic awoke from his conversation with the Chimera to find that all of the others except Tikal had already left to fight Nova. Concentrating, he tapped into the Chimera's power, trying to access the First Stage and shape the formless golden energy around him.

The golden aura formed a lion with a snake tail, much like Tikal's winged lion. When he had finished his transformation, he turned to the echidna princess with a smile.

"You ready?" he said as he called upon the power of the Chimera to levitate himself into the air.

"Yes," she replied quietly as she did the same.

With nothing more than a polite nod passing between them, the final two incarnations flew up to join the other four. And on the hilltop outside the city, the seventh was nowhere to be seen.

Author's Notes: Just like before how I told the Shadow Eclipse fight scene and then skipped back a ways when I detailed Sonic's encounter with Sarx, or when I described the heroes' escape from the crumbling tower and then Sarx's unleashing Nova, I'm going to have to describe events which occur simultaneously. Therefore, the chapters coming up are not necessarily exactly chronological. I'll try to clue you in on where each one falls, but I just wanted to warn you beforehand.


	93. Change of Heart

**Chapter 93- Change of Heart**

At first, only a thin sliver of light penetrated into his dark world. He remained there in silence for awhile, not fully awake and yet no longer unconscious, unable to get up. He groaned and rubbed his aching head, which still pounded slightly from the battle. He could hear sounds in the distance, but payed them no mind, being in too much pain to care what was going on.

Sitting up slowly, Shadow opened his burning crimson eyes, which quickly flicked around and surveyed his surroundings. He was on a grassy hilltop, seated next to some sort of machine... alone. But he was alive.

_'So I won. But I seem to remember fainting face first into the sand,' _he pondered. He slowly stood to his feet, before brushing some residual grains of sand off himself. Turning around, he stared at the nearby city, which he immediately recognized as Central City. He then realized the city was the origin of the noise he heard. It sounded like a war going on, complete with bursting bombs and the roar of some gargantuan beast.

**'Shadow, Nova is reborn. The others are already fighting it,'**__the Cerberus' rough, gravelly voice resounded in his head.

_'And I suppose now you want me to make good on my promise," _Shadow replied in irritation.

**'Of course,' **the Cerberus said as if he were surprised that his bearer would bother asking the question.

_Flashback_

_ A pair of slanted, crimson-red eyes shone through the darkness on the other side of the mirror. Shadow involuntarily felt a chill creep up his spine. No matter how many times it happened, physically seeing any part of this creature unnerved him._

"_**Very well, then. I will lend you my power, Shadow, but know that you still have a duty to fulfill after you've finished with your brother and the Griffon.**__"_

_ Shadow's eyes narrowed. "Don't worry, I'll keep my word."_

_ Cerberus, the hound of darkness, chuckled, his voice as rough as the edge of an unsharpened blade. "__**I certainly hope so, for your sake.**__"_

_End Flashback_

**'You know that the others will expect you to rejoin them,'**__the dark beast reminded him.

"And you know as well as I do that it can't be. I've chosen my fate. I'm already damned... no matter what Sonic thinks," Shadow muttered partly in regret, and partly in arrogance.

_Flashback_

_ As Eclipse said, Shadow's thirst for revenge was what kept him from his home and friends, so maybe if he accomplished it, he would be easier to convince him to return with them..._

_-_

_...all four heroes hesitated for a moment before opening the door that led to the roof of the tower and heading though it, Sonic the last one._

_ With a turn of his head, he caught Shadow's gaze one last time. The dark hedgehog, surprisingly, stared right back at him. There was a hidden conversation in their eyes: Sonic's grass-green ones promising to bring Shadow back one day, and Shadow's fire-red ones opposing the hero's plan every step of the way._

_End Flashback_

**'What do you intend to do?' **the Cerberus boomed.

"I'm going to proceed with the plan. But I'll need extra help from you," Shadow explained.

**'As much as I dislike the idea, if it is what must be done then I shall help you,' **Cerberus conceded. **'It will make things more difficult for me in the end though.'**

__Shadow silently stood to his feet, and stared down at his arm, the sickly corruption of the Dark Emerald clawing at his shoulder. Whereas before it had simply reached up to his elbow, now the poisonous yellow easily touched the middle of his biceps.

"That use of the emerald cost me," he noted.

**'You thought you could simply train it like a dog, but not all dogs **_**can**_** be trained,'**__his beast replied smugly. **'...Do you see why I told you not to use it?' **

__"It won't matter soon enough," Shadow insisted. "After all, I defeated him. My revenge is complete."

**'At what cost?'**

__"You're starting to sound like _them._"

_Flashback_

_ The grotesque half-transformation of the Dark Super form reached all the way to the middle of his forearm, were it simply bled into the betrayer's natural fur colors._

_ Sonic's mouth moved to form words, but no sound came out. He was in complete and utter shock; there was just no other way to put it. Was it some sort of side-effect from using the Dark Emerald after two years?_

_ The sapphire hero gasped suddenly. Of course, how could he have forgotten? He had seen that strange transformation before, two years ago, when he and Shadow had fought by the Lake of Tears._

_ "Shadow," Rouge gasped, her mouth dry. The huntress' eyes were completely wide; her entire body was devoid of any motion. She just stood there, as if frozen, staring at the arm of the black hedgehog._

_ "...It's getting worse, I suppose," came Shadow's nonchalant voice, ringing through the air like a bell that was the key to awakening everyone from their staring trance._

_ Sonic snapped back into reality, his eyes immediately narrowing into slits at the ultimate life form's sudden confession. "You mean this has been happening to you all this time?"_

_ A few moments of silence, then Shadow slowly turned to face his blue adversary, letting his arm drop back to his side, sequentially letting the sleeve of his coat hide his tainted arm and hand once again._

_ "Its a price that I'm willing to pay. You should know that better than anyone, Sonic," the black and red hedgehog responded coldly, his soulless red eyes focusing upon Sonic._

_ "I can't believe you! You weren't like this when you wanted revenge on G.U.N. all those years ago, so why are you doing this now?" the blue speed demon hissed. "Are you willing to let darkness consume you, to turn you into a monster, all for the sake of killing your own brother?"_

_End Flashback_

"If anyone should, you at least should know that I only won by embracing darkness. No price was too great to pay," Shadow growled.

Cerberus was silent for a moment, as if disturbed by his bearer's mindset. **'Very well. But if you have any sense at all, you will not use the emerald in this fight.'**

__A beat.

"Agreed. I don't want this infection spreading any further than it already has," Shadow nodded as he began walking towards the city.

**'The new Griffon will be inexperienced,'**__the beast of darkness reminded him. **'You will need to compensate.'**

__The obsidian hedgehog scoffed. "I'm more than capable of this. I did just defeat one of the most powerful beings in the world," he remarked evenly, as they came into the city. Shadow saw Nova, and his eyes widened momentarily, but they returned to normal not even a second later, as if the gesture had been a mistake, an error in judgement.

**'Do not underestimate the demon. As I seem to recall, your victory over Eclipse was a slim one, nearly costing you your life.'**

__The ultimate lifeform smirked and disappeared in a flash of red light, reappearing atop a nearby building the next second. He stared out at the ruined city, his flaming eyes scanning the destruction and the debris in nonchalance. Then he turned his attention up to Nova, who was furiously battling the other incarnations.

"It's really kind of sad. They're helpless without me," he said after watching the conflict for awhile, his gaze objective and unfaltering even at seeing his former friends receive vicious blows. It was obvious that despite their combined strength, Nova had the upper hand, warding them off and replying with attacks of its own that were incredibly powerful.

**'I think you would find yourself in desperate need of their help if fighting the demon alone. Pride comes before a fall,'**__Cerberus chided as the ebony avenger closed his eyes. He made no answer to this warning, but reached out to his beast, attempting to meld their two souls together.

-

_The dark hedgehog was surrounded by an emptiness that matched his own coloring, an abyss that stretched forever into nothingness. Yet within this darkness there lurked a presence, an eerie power that surpassed even his understanding. The mirror was hardly shining, looking like a dull, tarnished silver that had long lost its luster. _

_ Shadow was dwarfed by the mirror, and the ruby eyes within it, surrounded by that monstrously hideous, and yet incalculably wise face. The Cerberus grimaced at him, its razor sharp teeth flashing dangerously as its jaws parted._

_ "__**Heed my warnings. It will make things easier for both of us,**__" he growled, as Shadow stared back in defiance. _

_ "The easy way isn't always the best. The path I've chosen is a difficult one, and I'm used to walking it by now. I don't need any more advice," he said as neutrally as possible, well aware that this beast was several times more powerful than he. _

_ Cerberus paused for a long moment, staring Shadow down with his chilling ruby eyes. "__**Very well. Arise, Seventh Incarnation, and do what must be done.**__" The darkness surrounding him moved._

_ It was a strange thing to witness, because one usually tends to think of darkness merely as the absence of light, but nevertheless, the void moved as if it had tangible form. _

_ It wrapped around him as if it were an icy blanket, soaking into him and empowering him. He could feel the power of it flowing through him, and it was a discomforting and painful sensation. The Cerberus chuckled at his agony, as the mirror cracked. _

_ Tentacles of black seeped out like blood, drowning Shadow as they poured into him. He stood there as the emptiness indwelled him, latching onto his bitterness and his sorrow, his hatred and his rage, and using them to make him strong. _

_ His head began to throb as the darkness granted him more power than he'd ever wielded before. He would need everything he could get. _

_ -_

Shadow came out of his trance to find himself in Zero Stage, but noticed immediately that the aura surrounding him was the most powerful he'd ever witnessed at this stage. Smirking in assurance of victory, he concentrated, tapping into the energy flowing through him, and focussing on his inner emotion.

Buried under his charade of empty stoicism was a burning hatred that had nearly been quenched, a lust for the blood of the murderers of innocent life. That was his original reason for hating Eclipse. Although it seemed somewhat distant now, like a memory of a dream that had nearly faded, he still remembered that fateful day two years ago when Mephiles had appeared to him.

_Flashback_

_ Shadow stepped into the room, the door sliding closed behind him. His eyes scanned the room, finally resting on the central platform. And what he saw almost made him vomit, cry, and scream at the same time._

_ There, lying in a puddle of her own blood illuminated by the eerie glow of the moon, was the young Maria Robotnik, her grandfather Gerald protectively sprawled over her lifeless body in a last attempt to protect her._

_ Both were completely motionless. It was not a hard task to figure out that the two were no longer alive._

_ Tears started involuntarily flowing from Shadow's eyes. How? Why?_

_ A sudden movement made Shadow perk up, standing in a defensive position, still scared to death._

_ His ruby-red eyes picked out a silhouette that stood against the eerie glowing window of the room, his outline making it obvious that it was a hedgehog, one taller and probably older than Shadow. His stance was statue-like and his fists were clenched at his sides. The head of the shadow was turned to the side._

_ "Who are you?" Shadow managed to ask timidly through chocked sobs._

_ The young black hedgehog pushed back another sob, the corner of his eye still drowning in the image of Maria and Gerald laying before him, slaughtered. The phantom turned towards the young hedgehog after a small pause, eerie silver eyes glowing through the darkness and focused onto Shadow._

_ Young Shadow's eyes widened. No, it couldn't be, it was impossible!_

_ The stranger lifted his foot, stepping closer to the two corpses and Shadow. Waves of shadows and moonlight rolled over his expressionless face, revealing it completely under the glow of the Earth below._

_ "Brother?" Shadow asked in shock, not wanting to believe in his idol's presence "What are you-why are you-"_

_ "Foolish brother," the older hedgehog interrupted, his voice cold and nonchalant._

_End Flashback_

And now, this bestial dragon had slaughtered thousands of innocents, and deserved the same punishment his brother had received. Utter, complete, and merciless destruction. And he would gladly deliver the sentence.

Shadow thought back to his battle with Eclipse, a frown of dissatisfaction on his face.

_'I strove for his death for two whole years. And now, I've fulfilled my purpose,' _he mused. _'I thought it would be more satisfying...'_

At his beast's urgings, he focussed on the task at hand, his musings disappearing into the black shield wrapped around him.

He unleashed the First Stage, the obsidian energy around him morphing and taking the shape of a black hound, a representation of his beast.

**'Do not stop yet Shadow. I think you clearly demonstrated in your battle with Eclipse that you are ready for the Second Stage. And you will need all the power I can grant you for this fight,'**__the voice of darkness echoed in his mind.

Shadow nodded and continued concentrating, continued harnessing his hatred as his pulse began to rise. The energy of the void surged through him, responding to his call, and increasing his strength. The onyx power encasing his body was freezing; so cold it burned. It grew in clarity and depth until the hedgehog underneath was hardly distinguishable.

With a cry of exertion, Shadow accessed the Second Stage, his protective shield turning to an ebony flame. He could literally feel the tremendous energy pulsing through him as he turned towards his enemy.

_'So this is how much of the Griffon's power Eclipse held?' _Shadow pondered. _'I feel invincible.'_

**'Let me be the first to assure you that you are not. You are however, the most powerful out of all the Incarnations. And you have a job to do,' **Cerberus boomed, the voice of the beast now resonating within his entire form.

Obeying the command of his ally, the dark hedgehog took to the skies, an obsidian fire keeping him afloat. He gaped at how effortlessly he could maintain altitude with his newfound power, before turning towards the distant Nova.

He shot forward, becoming nothing more than a bolt of onyx light as he rushed towards the demon, making himself into a living projectile with the power of his energy shield. The air rubbing him as he passed by it burned him, but he simply glared forward, his blood red eyes intent upon the monstrous demon.

Nova saw him coming and released a titanic roar, surging past the others and coming to meet him. Sparks leapt off of its enormous wings as they beat up and down, and its flaming eyes bored into him with a vicious blood-lust. The look in Shadow's eyes more or less matched it.

There was a tense, silent moment before they collided.

Author's Notes: Now that you know how Shadow joins the fight, I'm going to skip back a ways to the beginning of the battle.


	94. Fire and Sand

**Chapter 94- Fire and Sand**

Knuckles' and Algos' eyelids snapped open at the exactly the same time. They both had successfully accessed their First Stages to their respective Incarnations, and quickly glanced around to determine that the others were still busily concentrating on theirs.

Knowing that they had absolutely no time to waste, their eyes met for a moment, and the crimson echidna nodded at his sand colored companion. Generating a burning heat under his feet, Knuckles rose into the air, levitating as if he were a god.

Algos' beast bestowed him with wings, which lifted him off the ground with a few powerful flaps. The pair floated above the rooftop for a moment, turning to face the bestial Nova. Each focussed on eliminating any trace of fear or uncertainty in their hearts. This battle would be titanic, they could not afford to weaken themselves with doubt.

Together, they surged forward, each summoning an attack into existence as they closed in on the demon.

Knuckles encased himself in a writhing fire the shape of a titanic bird that leapt out as if it were alive, sending tentacles of flame clawing outward in every direction. The sand manipulating hedgehog pulled giant chunks of pavement from the ground, swirling them around himself like a halo of rocks.

The dragon was facing away from them, and heard their approach before it saw them. It stopped in the middle of blasting a building, and turned to look at its attackers, a snarl escaping from its lips. But it was too late.

No sooner had its head swiveled to stare at them with its haunting obsidian eyes, than the valiant heroes impacted it, causing it to scream in pain as their attacks struck it. Algos hurled boulder after boulder at it, remaining aloft effortlessly with his enormous wings.

Knuckles had slightly more trouble remaining airborne, as he had to continuously expend energy to maintain his altitude, but nonetheless he was fighting the demon with a ferocity that would have put the ancient echidna warriors to shame.

Tongues of fire leapt from his body, flaring into the side of the dragon and lapping at its scaly flanks. Although it shuddered and groaned, Nova seemed relatively unharmed. Perhaps the legend was true, perhaps only the combined power of all seven Incarnations could harm one of the Titan Beasts.

Algos seemed to be paying the thought no mind, having formed himself a covering of broken rock, complete with sharpened claws he employed on the demon's flesh. These broke when they contacted the dragon's amor, earning a curse word from Algos as he leapt backwards.

Nova retaliated with a vicious electrical barrage, which Algos barely dodged in time to avoid being fried. Knuckles backed him up, shooting billowing fire at the Titan Beast's head, but it snarled and came down on him.

They had lost the element of surprise. Nova attempted to bite Knuckles in half, but he sent a tongue of fire down its throat as it opened its great maw, earning a high pitched shriek. Not even a second later, the beast reached out with its gargantuan claws and swiped at Algos, tearing huge hunks of rock out of his armor.

The fire incarnation sent a volcanic blast at the dragon, but despite its giant size, it dove underneath them, avoiding damage. Algos formed the rock on his hands into spikes, intending to stab the demon. Knuckles seemed to realize the strategy he intended to employ, and concentrated his aura around his hands.

Nova glared up at them and released a crimson lightning bolt that speared upwards, into the heavens. Algos deftly swooped out of the way, but Knuckles wasn't so lucky.

The blast caught him in the chest, sending him flying backward with the force of the blast, his Phoenix aura absorbing the massive damage. Ignoring his damaged ally, Algos swept down, propelled by his powerful wings. Drawing back his spiked fist, he growled slightly as he fell upon Nova.

The earth incarnation drove his spike into the demon's chest, causing a hot, crimson liquid to spurt out, drenching him. Nova screamed and flailed, its great wings beating furiously. But Algos was not content to inflict just this damage to the dragon. Raising his energy encased fist into the air, he squinted in anger as he maneuvered his sand.

As Nova turned its head, and was preparing to attack, the Dragon enshrouded hedgehog sent a funnel of sand barreling into the side of Nova's head. Knuckles followed up this attack with a tongue of flame, earning an angry shriek of pain.

_**"You incarnations have always interfered where you have no business!" **_Nova thundered, as it loosed a raging bolt of power from its mouth. Knuckles was only narrowly able to avoid the blow, and decided that rather than dignifying the challenge with a response, he would focus on the battle at hand.

Algos stretched out his arms, extending tendrils of sand that moved effortlessly at his bidding. Wrapping them around the dragon's torso, Algos attempted to ensnare it as it struggled against the bonds. After squirming inside the sandy ropes for a moment, the monstrous beast took off, speeding away with a flap of its wings, with Algos attached to it. Knuckles was left behind, staring wide eyed after the demon.

The tentacles of sand shattered, as Nova turned to face the First Incarnation. Knuckles, left hundreds of yards in the distance, flew towards them as quickly as he could, the Phoenix's flames dancing around him rhythmically.

Nova swung its tail at the brown hedgehog, sparks leaping off it as it moved. Shining azure eyes narrowed as their owner deftly dodged to the left, his wings carrying him with a single powerful push. He had managed to avoid the initial blow.

However, the snake-like appendage curled around, twisting and turning to avoid hastily summoned sand barriers as if it had a mind of its own. Finally, it reached the sand wielder himself, striking him with a vicious strength. An electric deluge was imparted at impact, causing his shield to weaken and flicker from even this brief contact.

Knuckles arrived, amethyst eyes burning with a fire to match that of his aura. Raising one arm, he commanded the surrounding fire with a flick of his wrist. The Phoenix's calming effect made the control of fire look easier than breathing.

Nova probably didn't appreciate the Phoenix's beauty as its head was engulfed in searing heat. The dragon threw back its head and bellowed angrily, its eyes flaring darker. Algos attempted to take advantage of Nova's disadvantage, and pulled up several hunks of rock and pavement.

Hurling these at the dragon in its fit of rage, he expected to catch it off guard. However, upon seeing the rocky projectiles headed its way, Nova beat its powerful wings, raising itself higher into the air, and allowing the attacks to pass harmlessly below.

Not waiting for Nova to take the offensive again, Knuckles began charging up a madly crackling energy attack; preparing a Raikou for later use. The dragon took notice of the crimson echidna's preparations, and opened its jaws to unleash its own thunder. Algos attacked first, extending hardened spikes out of his body to make himself into a living arrow.

The demon swatted the earth enshrouded warrior away like a fly, earning several punctures in its wings, but repelling him. It turned to Knuckles just as he released the Raikou. The trademark booming noise created by the attack filled the air as it flew at Nova's open mouth. The shining blue light energy the abyssal darkness and disappeared, as the guardian stared wide eyed.

This creature had just devoured one of his most powerful attacks as if it were merely a snack. Then it occurred to Knuckles that perhaps Nova had been toying with them this whole time. As the demon of thunder turned to meet his gaze, a chill ran up his spine, and he found himself awaiting anxiously for the arrival of the other incarnations.

Nova didn't allow him to continue in his musings, instead sending an ebony bolt of energy down at the Phoenix indwelled guardian.

Knuckles dodged this, but even as he did so, another lightning bolt speared towards him. Thankfully, Algos arrived bearing an enormous column of twisting sand. Nova stopped its barrage, now turning its flaming eyes towards the hell bent hedgehog approaching it.

The Dragon aura surrounding Algos had deepened, and he was barely distinguishable beneath it. However, even from the limited view of him that was available, it was easy to tell that the hedgehog's eyes were clouded by a dark emotion.

After his fight with Sonic and Shadow, Algos had more or less regained his sanity, and was generally a controlled and contained individual. But for some reason, accessing his beast and fighting brought to the surface his old mannerisms, and his deep buried emotions.

Nova lashed out at the approaching hedgehog with tendrils of obsidian light. The wings of his Dragon Form beating, Algos swerved to the side again and again, drawing closer while managing to remain completely unscathed.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Knuckles hastily sent a pillar of flames into Nova's side, searing off a huge chunk of flesh as the demon screamed.

**'Alright Algos, let us show them the power of the one, true Dragon!' **his beast screamed. The brown hedgehog took this to heart as he impacted the demon. Controlling the sand and rock surrounding him with an ease that would put Kakos to shame, Algos spun it around himself like a halo of dirt and stone.

Forming the earthen matter into blades, pillars, and tentacles in an instant, Algos smirked as he unleashed his fury upon the Titan Beast with a war cry that shook the heavens.

Even as makeshift weapons formed from the ground itself slammed into Nova, Knuckles summoned a pair of screaming Raikous, one on each arm. Firing them off in succession, Knuckles followed after them, concentrating the fire of his aura in front of him as first the dual cerulean projectiles, and then the guardian himself, collided with the enormous dragon.

Nova reacted wildly, firing off random discharges of energy as it roared and reached out with its massive claws. Algos was caught in the fury of the monster's gargantuan talons. Twin lacerations were torn deep into his forehead, electricity arcing into him from the contact.

Blood dripped down Algos' face, as he reeled from the sheer power of the attack. Knowing that he couldn't afford to lose what was for now his only ally, Knuckles attempted to deter Nova with a jet of flames to the neck. The pillar of fire struck the demon hard, but Algos had been wounded nonetheless.

The sand wielder blinked as the blood trickled into his eyes, clouding his vision. The crimson wetness stung his cerulean orbs, forcing him to shut them tightly as tears welled forth. Nova shook off the damage from Knuckles' attack, and with a roar, turned to destroy the Second Incarnation.

Algos could hear the beast roaring, crying out for his blood, and reacted instinctively. Without thinking about what he was doing, Algos transferred a piece of his consciousness into the sand and rock, sensing the world around him through them.

As the monster collided with stray grains of dust left in the air, Algos pinpointed its location, and without his sight, lashed out with a massive arm made of sand. The blunt end struck Nova, spinning it in the air as it lost it momentum.

Algos realized what he had just done and smirked. He reveled in the sensations brought to him by a strange fifth sense, one that allowed him to feel through the matter he manipulated. It would take some time for the blood to drain from his eyes, but in the meantime, he was certainly not helpless.

There was little time to celebrate this new development however, as Nova instantly wheeled around in mid air, and began charging at the pair again.


	95. Wind and Water

**Chapter 95- Wind and Water**

Silver and Rouge were able to see the First and Second Incarnations battling Nova as they approached through the air. The ivory hedgehog had never tapped into the Wyvern before, and was in awe of everything about his newfound power. He felt as if he were encased in a covering of protection, and that nothing could harm him.

The air that composed his aura was in constant movement, and was dispersed by streaks of emerald colored energy. Wings whose feathers looked to be made of the same wind that powered the beast beat effortlessly, holding him aloft hundreds of feet above the ground.

Rouge of course, naturally had wings, so it was not necessary for her to expend any of the water beast's energy levitating herself. Both of them propelled themselves towards the battle, their surrounding energy making their very bodies into missiles.

Nova was in the midst of fighting Algos, whose eyes were clenched shut in pain. The crimson guardian had sustained a direct hit with the demon's Black Thunder, and was focussed on recovering his fire shield.

A smirk on his face, Silver thrust his arms out, fingers curled into fists. His golden eyes glowed as a howling noise tore through the air. A gale of wind rushed past him, roaring and writhing as it was sent down on the ice and navy blue dragon.

Nova reeled as the powerful blast struck its chest, leaving it open to another attack. This was too good an opportunity to pass up. A twinkle shone in Rouge's alluring eyes, as she channelled the water in her protective shield into a single torrent. This mighty stream collided with the giant monster, knocking it even more off balance.

Seeing where their strategy was going, Knuckles began to launch fireballs at Nova, their searing heat clawing out with a life of their own. Nova managed to dodge Knuckles' barrage, replying to their attacks with one of its own. Electricity crackled in its mouth as the demon's lips curved into an insidious grin.

Dozens of thin streams of lightning cascaded down on the four heroes, like madly dancing obsidian rain. Knowing that as the water incarnation, an electrical attack would prove deadly, Rouge dove out of the way in the blink of an eye. Algos also managed to swoop clear of the shining deluge, beating his wings furiously to propel himself to safety.

The fire enshrouded guardian and the warrior who wore the winds as his cloak weren't so lucky. Both of them made an attempt to avoid the downpour, but before they were able to reach safety, each was struck by one of the shimmering bolts.

Knuckles was struck in the arm, burning through his shield and searing off a patch of flesh where the attack landed. From the buzzing that erupted in his temples, it was hard to believe that the majority of the damage from the rather small projectile had been absorbed by the Phoenix's flames.

Silver was only glanced in the shoulder, and so the damage to his person was minimal; his shield on the other hand was surprisingly diminished. He frowned in determination and gather the passing breezes into his aura, absorbing them and gaining strength. By now, most of the blood had been drained from Algos' eyes, and although it was cloudy, his vision had returned to him.

Instantly using this recovered sense to his advantage, he stretched out his arms as if he were a warlock summoning an ancient demon. Obeying his command, massive chunks of concrete and rock jolted up into the sky, to surround their master. As Knuckles and Silver recovered from Nova's attack, the brown hedgehog smirked, as he wiped the last of the blood from his brow. Then, raising his fists to the heavens, he forced his rocks and sand to increase in altitude.

They reached a peak, lurched to a stop, and hung there in the sky, as if suspended on invisible wire. A tense pause passed, before boulders thundered down on Nova like falling stars. They were encased in fire, as they hurtled down, striking the dragon with incredible force. Gravity and Algos' natural strength worked hand in hand to slam the flaming rocks on the demon, causing it to reel in mid-air.

Rouge followed this attack with her own, lashing out violently with tentacles of water, and wrapping them around Nova to restrict its movement and force it to endure the full power of Algos' furious bombardment.

Amidst the barrage of fiery comets, the Titan Beast swung its head back and forth, lightning leaping out of its mouth and discharging randomly. One of these energy beams happened to strike the constricting tentacles Rouge had extended to detain the beast.

The energy that shone with the color of night raced down the watery tendrils in an instant, reaching out to curl around the huntress herself like fingers of death. Rouge was hit full force by an attack that had been made even more potent due to the water it had travelled through.

The agony of one of Nova's fully powered blasts was indescribable, and so any attempt at explanation that could be offered would pale in comparison to the real thing. But I will provide you with the closest possible comparison.

If you can imagine having your internal organs torn out one by one, as someone is drilling into the back of your skull with a jackhammer, while at the same time, you've been drenched in oil and lit on fire, then you can almost understand the pain she endured.

Algos and Knuckles attacked the demon simultaneously in order to draw its fire from Rouge, but she had already sustained significant damage. Silver kept a watchful eye on her as she struggled to remain conscious amidst the reverberations pounding in her head. Darkness hung on the edges of her vision, and the world spun around her wildly, an messy array of blurry colors and faint echoing sounds. But despite the pain, she was managing to remain airborne.

The sand wielder and the guardian had combined their attacks, launching a steady stream of molten sand at the dragon, which it easily avoided. But at least it was on the defensive.

**'Guardian, you cannot hope to emerge victorious without the others,' **the Phoenix's soothing voice echoed solemnly. **'You must occupy Nova long enough for the others to finish their transformations.' **

Knuckles nodded in understanding, as his brow creased slightly with determination. His eyes met Algos' and the sand brown hedgehog seemed to understand what the echidna was silently saying.

Viciously attacking in the hope of keeping Nova on the run, Knuckles and Algos were soon joined by Silver, who added his attacks to theirs. Nova spun and wove through the skies with surprising agility and speed, turning its head every so often to snarl at its assailants.

Rouge was no longer in danger of hurtling from the sky, but was still too weak to attack Nova and risk sustaining anther blow. Spires of rock jutted out, surrounded by roaring tongues of searing heat, and interspersed with heavy gales that not only disrupted and damaged Nova directly, but were also adding to the strength of Knuckles' flames.

Nova veered unexpectedly in mid-air, changing courses in an split second to turn and face the heroes. Ferociously writhing lightning coursed out of the dragon's jaws, screaming towards the incarnations like bloodthirsty predators. A last minute reaction was necessary. The lightning moved extremely swiftly, but if one of them tried to move out of the way too soon, the attack would turn mid-flight and fall upon them in their new location, faithfully following behind their targets.

The one true weakness of the energy projectiles was that they could not make sharp turns, so if one could time their dodge perfectly, there was no danger of being hit. This of course, was easier said than done, and all three of them only narrowly avoided the first volley. Nova continued to speed towards them like a missile, more and more of the deadly bolts leaping from its mouth.

_'Just how much energy does this thing have?' _Knuckles wondered, as he dove out of the way of one of the dragon's merciless assaults.

**'Take heed, Guardian. You cannot exhaust Nova's reserves of power.' **The Phoenix answered, strangely calming and disheartening at the same time.

Nova was now a mere hundred feet away, eyes flashing with dark intent. Wasting no more time, Algos hurled his remaining boulders at the demon, and although none struck it, Nova was forced to slow its approach in order to dodge them. Joining Algos in his assault, the ivory psychic sent a condensed blast of air into Nova's wing, tearing a small hole in it. The dragon snarled in pain and shot a death glare at Silver, but continued it's approach regardless.

The beast loomed above them, its shadow blocking out the sun. Finally, only a small gap separated it from the group, and it increased its speed. The Titan Beast attempted to ram into them, but as it drew closer and closer, Algos constructed a wall of sand and rock quicker than a blink, blocking the dragon's progress. Nova barreled against the massive earthen shield, straining to destroy it with all its strength.

Algos and Silver pushed back together, the brown hedgehog desperately trying to hold the barrier in place, and the ivory one fortifying it with as much wind as he could summon. Seeing this as her chance to strike without fear of retaliation, Rouge concentrated, reaching out to the droplets of water vapor all around them.  
Condensing millions of invisible liquid molecules, she gathered more and more to herself, as the air became dry. Nova began to beat against the wall furiously, cracks running down its length.

Knowing her time was short, the huntress quickly finished gathering all the surrounding water into her aura, which had now grown to massive proportions.

Looking at her companions with as gleam of intent in her eyes, she smirked. "Silver, Algos, now!" she commanded, signaling them to allow the wall to crumble.

Surging through the debris was the demon's hulking form, a devilish smile on its face. No sooner had Nova blasted through the dust than it was faced with a towering wall of water, dwarfing even its massive size. At the center of the rippling mass was Rouge, her eyes alight with the Basilisk's power.

A frown of anger and determination on her face, Rouge unleashed her attack on Nova. "Tidal Fury!"

With this bellow, the gargantuan wave crashed down upon Nova, knocking it back and ripping off countless scales upon impact. The demon was swept away in the torrent, tossed about like a mere rag doll amidst the might of the raging waves.

The swells of the tsunami glowed with a bluish light, and bore a strange resemblance to the tails of thousands of writhing snakes. Each individual drop of water was harnessed by the colossal attack, beating into the demon and inflicting massive damage.

The others gaped in awe, each of then immediately aware that whatever assumptions they'd made about the bat's power had been grossly, enormously underestimated. If the attack was capable of sweeping away the titanic monster, then it would surely destroy a regularly sized being as easily as snapping a toothpick.

After the vicious attack subsided, Nova hung there in mid-air, its wings flapping laboriously. Flesh had been torn off every part of its body, revealing sinewy muscles and tendons flexing and stretching beneath the beast's skin. Streams of residual wetness trickled off its form, intermixed with the blood seeping out of its many wounds.

Nova's haunting eyes flicked to each of them in order, hatred burning within them. Its lips parted, and the heroes braced themselves for lightning to come bursting out.

But no attack came. Instead, the dragon was panting, and rather than unleashing its wrath upon them, it spoke.

_**"You have fought well, worthy of the original beasts. I'm almost impressed." **_When the monster's flaming orbs came to rest upon Rouge, they lingered there, causing the hairs on the back of the bat's neck to stand on end.

The abomination seemed to sense her discomfort, and released a rough, gravelly laugh. _**"But surely you know that you cannot win." **_

__Enraged by Nova's smugness, Silver boomed out a defiant reply, his words carried on the wind to a volume that seemed impossible for his size. "**We will see who'll win!**"

Nova scoffed at this outburst, its razor sharp teeth curving into a malicious grin that dripped with its own blood. Its obsidian eyes bored into Silver, their chilling gaze burning into his very soul. _**"You seem a bit inexperienced, little hedgehog. How long have you been at this, a year perhaps? Six months?" **_Silver growled, clenching his teeth in fury. _**"I've been playing my part for millennia, so I'm fairly certain I have the edge in experience." **_

__"I would think that in that amount of time, you would've accomplished something," Rouge snapped, her voice booming with that of the mighty Basilisk.

Nova roared in rage, and beat its monstrous wings, sparks leaping off it as it charged at Rouge. The heroes braced themselves for attack, each readying the powers of their respective beasts to defend themselves, or damage the approaching demon.


	96. Light and Energy

**Chapter 96- Light and Energy**

_Flashback_

_ Sonic awoke from his conversation with the Chimera to find that all of the others except Tikal had already left to fight Nova. Concentrating, he tapped into the Chimera's power, trying to access the First Stage and shape the formless golden energy around him. _

_ The golden aura formed a lion with a snake tail, much like Tikal's winged lion. When he had finished his transformation, he turned to the echidna princess with a smile. _

_ "You ready?" he said as he called upon the power of the Chimera to levitate himself into the air. _

_ "Yes," she replied quietly as she did the same. _

_ With nothing more than a polite nod passing between them, the final two incarnations flew up to join the other four. And on the hilltop outside the city, the seventh was nowhere to be seen. _

_End Flashback_

The size and force of Rouge's Tidal Fury attack was so great that Sonic and Tikal paused in mid-air, staring at the display of power with wide eyes. Even from several hundred feet away, the techniques massive strength was apparent, and was evidenced by Nova's wild screams of agony.

From the distance they were at, they could not distinctly hear the Titan Beast's argument with the others, but they could clearly see when it charged forward, eyes drilling into Rouge with an unmatched hatred.

Without wasting a moment, they both flew forward as fast as they were able, the Griffon's mighty wing beating and the Chimera's golden aura shimmering. Tikal's expression was neutral, but Sonic's protectiveness over Rouge was obvious from the manic, enraged look in his eyes. Stretching out his arm, Sonic channeled a brilliant cerulean down it, which gathered in his palm to form a madly swirling orb.

Not even waiting until they were close enough that hitting the beast was a possibility, Sonic released the attack, forming a new one the instant it left his fingertips. Nova turned as the Shining Lance screamed past it, immediately recognizing the source of the energy as the Chimera.

Growling in anger, it replied with its own harsh blast, which missed the rapidly approaching Sonic by a mere hair's breadth. The fire of Chimera's anger burnt in his eyes, as he hurled bolt after shimmering bolt of chaos energy at the demon. Several of the hurriedly tossed bolts missed Nova, but the few that did make contact seared impressively large patches of flesh from the dragon's flanks.

Tikal raised her fist into the air, a blinding light gathering there. Nova shrieked, turning away from the orb of divine power in agony, its eyes clenched tightly shut. Even the others had to shield their eyes as the echidna princess loosed the attack, sending it at the demon with a grim frown of determination.

The blast struck Nova in the chest, illuminating its body as a black silhouette amidst the blinding inferno, flailing and screaming in pain. Giving it no time to recover, Algos shot hardened spires of earth at it, piercing its body like nails driven into wood. Meanwhile Rouge prepared to send a pressurized stream of water at the seemingly preoccupied Titan Beast.

Nova however was not content to simply stay put and be attacked, and swooped through the air, its eyes sated in malice. Rouge unleashed her attack, but the demon was too fast, veering clear of the powerful torrent and turning its head to fire a blast of electricity in reply.

Tikal gasped as the Black Thunder struck her, dancing over her nerves like a thousand needles stabbing in and out of her flesh. The Griffon's light began to fade, and she felt as if the very strength within her had been sapped. Sonic would not tolerate this, and angrily fired off dozens of shimmering orbs in quick succession in retaliation. He was joined by Silver, who had discovered that his power was most effective when he used highly concentrated bursts of wind to impact the demon.

As they occupied the Nova, Tikal began to feel faint, as if she were losing her grasp on consciousness, slowly slipping into an icy void of nothingness. The darkness began to engulf her, surrounding her, preparing to consume her. Just as she felt herself begin to fall, she was held in the air by something solid, a pair of strong arms protecting her, to ensure she did not hurtle from the heavens. Struggling to overcome the residual pain and restore her protective shield, she cracked one eyelid open to look at her savior.

The first sight her vision caught was the others furiously battling with the demon. Looking down to the form that held her aloft, she gasped slightly.

"Guardian... I-," she paused, her lips quivering slightly. "Thank you," she murmured, still very weak.

Knuckles smiled slightly, and nodded. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked. She said yes, thanked him again, and he released her in compliance.

Although she was still rather sore from Nova's powerful attack, she found the strength to remain in the air, the Griffon surrounding her slowly returning to its former strength. With a final worried glance, Knuckles joined the others in their combined assault. Despite their teamwork, Nova managed to avoid nearly every attack they sent at it, occasionally replying with a screaming obsidian beam of volatile strength.

At this point, the demon was too preoccupied dodging their attacks to take enough time to get a really good aim. For this reason, most of the blasts were relatively easy to avoid, but when one did hit, massive damage always occurred, proving the monster's superior power.

Sonic was glanced in the shoulder by a particularly vicious Dark Thunder, resurrecting the wound dealt to him by Eclipse when the goblets had been stolen. His arm was covered in a stinging, fiery sensation, as blood burst forth and began to drip down his chest.

The cerulean hero shuddered and screamed, his anger awakening more of the power of his beast. Ignoring the crimson rivulets dancing down his heaving sides, and his eyes dancing with an unusual darkness, he began charging a massive golden light in his hands; fingers clenching into tight fists.

The orb of energy expanded to such a great size that Sonic had to hold it in both hands, as he charged at Nova with a hellish fury, his golden aura flaring with an unbelievable power. The others were frozen in shock as Sonic surged forward like a hell bent demon, reminding them eerily of his earlier use of the frighteningly powerful, ebony form.

An almost sinister grin twisting his lips, the hero waited until he was only a few feet away to hurl the madly crackling orb at Nova, leaving the dragon no room to dodge. Knowing full well the cerulean hedgehog's intent, Nova sent its own energy to counter his, the golden light striking the coursing shadows in a blinding explosion. The two energies met, swirling around each other in a multicolored orb that writhed in mid-air between the two combatants, each opposing light struggling for dominancy.

Not content to allow his Titan Lance to go to waste, Sonic poured his energy into the violently convulsing nexus, as the orb of power inched closer to the mighty dragon. Nova's eyes widened microscopically, before it did the same, spewing forth darkness into the conflicting field of energy. Sonic was joined by Tikal, who added the strength of her light to the gargantuan attack.

The demon smirked and brought to bear the fully force of its tremendous power on the warring energies. Sonic's eyes widened as the light infused Titan Lance crept backwards, even his and Tikal's power combined not enough to overcome the dragon's might. Darkness and light became one within the orb, their full power creeping gradually towards him, its power surely enough to end his life in a single blow.

As the black and white orb loomed above him, the world became still. Sound faded, as everything surrounding the energy ensheathed hero came to a halt. Time itself had crawled to a stop. His golden aura swirling around him madly, Sonic was ripped from his current dilemma, as the Chimera showed him a vision.

-

_Torn and ruined buildings lay shattered all around, and in the air, not a noise stirred. After his initial surprise at being whisked away from the battle, Sonic began to look at his surroundings in dismay. _

_ The sky was stained blood red, and looked as if it had been torn to pieces. Smoke circled into the fiery abyss from every crag and empty ruin, as everywhere he looked, there was no sign of life. No children playing. _

_ No birds singing in the trees. The trees themselves were mutilated and bare, clawing at the heavens like skeletal hands, clenched in agony. _

_ "Where am I?" he muttered in horror, his emerald eyes darting to and fro, looking for anything that was alive. _

_**'This is Central City. This is what will become of it if you fail,' **__the Chimera answered, its voice grave and solemn as the speaker at a funeral. Sonic stared around at the apocalyptic landscape, daggers driving into his heart every moment with the sight of his grim surroundings. _

_ "Why did you show me this?" he growled, his fists clenched in fury, as a cold sweat began gathering on his forehead. _

_ The beast was silent for a moment, as if so deeply saddened by what it had shown him, that it had no words to describe its feelings. Sonic's eyes closed as he awaited an answer from his beast. Finally, after a drawn out pause, the Chimera spoke. __**'So you can know the cause of my anger...' **_

___Sonic paused as he considered this, staring around at the ruined city. A fire burned in his veins unlike any he'd known, tears welling in his eyes as he realized the the fate of Central City. _

_ If they failed, G.U.N. would fire nuclear weapons that would surely exterminate all life within the sprawling metropolis. Sonic's tears now flowed freely, as he threw his arms into the air, and fell to his knees, the bitter drops of sorrow cascading down his cheeks. _

_ His clouded eyes darted to the ruined surroundings, finally understanding what it was that Havoc and his servants wished to accomplish. They were unlike Eggman, or Shadow, who had done what they did for selfish reasons, such as revenge or greed._

_ The Titan God lusted after nothing but death and destruction. And this was the offering that had been made to him, the prelude to doom. This would be the wages of their failure. _

_ "Please... I'll do anything..." he wept, fists clenched at the sky, imploring every power in the universe to hear him. "What must I do to prevent this?" Gently the Chimera swirled around him, golden strands of power trailing in lazy circles surrounding his form. A moment of silence passed, as his beast probed into his heart._

_**'You already know what you must do.'**_

-

The cerulean hero was thrust back into the battle, the gargantuan crackling orb of energy towering over him. Harnessing his sadness and rage, he poured everything he had into his Titan Lance, all his emotion, all his power. Tikal also increased the potency of the light that burst forth from her palms and crashed into the orb painted in ivory and ebony.

Knuckles joined them, encasing the warring energies in roaring flames that danced wildly and hungrily. The force of their combined power began to overpower Nova's as the massive photon once again slowly ground towards the demon. Obsidian eyes went wide before the tremendous burning light collided with the dragon.

A blinding illumination filled the skies as everything was devoured by an empty white flash. A tremendous heat to rival the sun itself spread over the sky, stinging even Knuckles amidst his shield of fire. A blood curdling, bone chilling scream of pain rang through the air like the rending of the heavens themselves, or a thousand booms of thunder at once, as the smell of singed flesh teased the heroes' nostrils. The ear piercing cry went on and on, burning itself in their memories as the terrible shriek of a demon being seared by cleansing light.

After what seemed like an eternity, finally all was quiet. As the light faded, one by one the incarnations opened their eyes not knowing what to expect. Surely enough, Nova was still alive. Its bat-like wings looked as if they'd been shredded, and the beasts' scaly skin was burnt and peeling, the flesh completely scorched off its body in several places to reveal exposed bone.

The dragon was no longer different shades of blue, but rather a burnt charcoal black, as if its very body were decaying into dust and ash. Crimson dripped down the demon's form, and surprisingly, the hatred within its eyes had managed to seemingly increase tenfold.

The dragon turned its head to the sky, its jaws open wide to reveal brilliantly shining teeth. From within this cavernous mouth came an impossibly powerful blast, which tore through the heavens like a ray of pure darkness.

_**"My Lord, give me strength to prevail against those who would arrogantly meddle in your plans!"**_ Nova roared.

Tikal's eyes widened with the realization that the demon was offering its prayers to Havoc. Birthing a shimmering ball of light into her fist, she charged towards the dragon, the rest of them following close behind.

_**"Master of darkness, lend me your power..." **_the demon proclaimed loudly, the sky darkening in response to its plea.

"By all that is holy..." Tikal muttered, as she looked up to see the unnatural storm clouds gathering above Nova.

Thunder roared in the heavens, as an eerie light the color of blood began to gather. The earth shook, as the energy in the clouds formed a beam that engulfed Nova.

_**"Devil's Cry!"**_ Nova laughed insanely, thunder surging from its jaws and shaking the earth itself. Lightning forked down from the demonic clouds gathered into the sky, as Havoc's crimson light surged into Nova, and the heroes shielded their eyes.

A chilling shriek echoed over the battlefield, and all was quiet, as the darkness swirled dramatically overhead.

Nova - now fully healed from his former wounds - turned to face the incarnations, its teeth parted in a horrid, bloodthirsty grin.

The tide had turned.


	97. Losing Tide

**Chapter 97- Losing Tide**

Sonic's mouth moved, but no words to describe their dilemma would come to him. He stared stupidly at Nova, the plain truth in front of his eyes not matching up with what he knew was possible. He knew that he, Tikal, and Knuckles had struck the demon with an incredibly powerful attack that had left it badly wounded and at a severe disadvantage in the fight.

He knew that Nova had called upon the Titan God to aid it, and that a blackness unlike any other had engulfed the heavens. The next thing he knew, Nova had completely recovered from their attack, floating before them smugly, almost as if it were daring them to defy it.

As the Chimera had recently reminded him, if they failed to stop the monstrous serpent, at the very least, the whole city would be destroyed in fire and death that rained from the sky in the form of missiles designed for the single purpose of exterminating millions of lives. There were six of them, the incarnations spoken of in legend, each one having harnessed their incredible powers.

Every one of them stood in defiance of Nova's rampage, and each was fully prepared to fight to their last breath, to sacrifice everything if need be, in order to save life on their planet as it was known. The cycle must not be broken. But only the power of all seven could prevail, and Shadow was nowhere to be seen.

Nova's taunting eyes seemed to mock Sonic, shouting his inadequacy and weakness without saying a word. The speed demon's body began to move on its own, perhaps doing the bidding of the beast within him, or perhaps compelled to act by the hedgehog's rising fury.

There was little difference.

A Shining Lance was birthed into existence in his palm, the cerulean orb dancing madly at his fingertips, almost begging to be employed. Without taking a moment to formulate a strategy, or prepare a battle plan, the hero blindly sped towards the demon, his arm drawn back with the attack shining in his hand.

Nova laughed openly at this charge, its teeth flashing in a nefarious grin a split second before its terrible jaws parted.

The others' eyes widened at Sonic's sudden and irrational decision, as they all began preparing their own powers to do battle with the dragon. An eerie fire shone in Sonic's eyes, as he came closer and closer to his target, the Shining Lance he had prepared crackling and screaming in a parallel of his own drunken fury.

The devilish beast opened its jaws, its dagger-like teeth dripping a hot, coppery crimson. Suddenly, a brilliant ebony light glistened within its mouth, crackling and screaming wildly. All six heroes began to close in. Knuckles had created a tongue of fire that rotated around him, orbiting his body like long, crimson fingers.

Algos had covered his body in earthen armor, and formed the rock surrounding his hands into viciously curved blades of stone. Silver's body glowed with a furious emerald light, his golden eyes narrowed, drilling into his opponent. Enshrouding his form was the wildly thrashing Wyvern, reaching out with tentacles of powerful wind.

The alluring ivory bat's brows were furrowed in a determined frown, her aquamarine eyes glowing from the the connection between her and her beast. The Basilisk's triple tails whipped about behind her, as she shot daggers at Nova with her gaze.

The lavender princess bit her lip slightly, the Griffon's clarity and presence covering her. The single wing protruding from her shoulder flapped slowly and elegantly, as two blinding orbs of pure, divine power were birthed into her open palms.

The Chimera enshrouded hero grit his teeth as he approached Nova, golden fire burning in his wake. A heavy, dull pulse pounded in the back of his skull, as he channeled more power into the cerulean orb of power within his fist, upgrading it into a Titan Lance.

As Nova laughed insidiously, and began to release its screaming black fury, a single tear trailed down the hero's cheek. The Incarnations had to dodge the demon's mighty thunder, halting their advances for only a moment before they resumed their wrathful charge.

The fire burning in Nova's hellish eyes flared in malice, the dragon's confidence in victory having been strengthened by its recently undergone healing. Streaking madly from its jaws were the otherworldly onyx bolts, each one sparking with a deadly potency.

Knuckles was almost speared through the heart, moving just in time to be glanced and stunned. The sand hedgehog's sky blue eyes narrowed as he witnessed Knuckles being struck.

"**Hey ugly, nobody's allowed to beat these suckers to a pulp but me!**" he declared forcefully, launching the stone spires resting on his fists towards the dragon. Nova twisted with incredible agility, its back contorting unnaturally, as its eyes gleamed.

Both of the sand brown hedgehog's projectiles had missed. But refusing to give up, he smirked slightly, and gathered the grainy molecules of his aura into a single mass, preparing a second attack in a moment.

Sonic's eyes narrowed as he clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles popped, pointing the shimmering golden light at the demon floating before him. Hurling the Titan Lance at Nova with a fearsome and enraged yell, he smirked in satisfaction.

His confidence was corrected the next second. The Titan Beast snarled angrily, replying to the azure hero's powerful attack with its own frighteningly potent blast. Sonic weaved out of the way of the screaming obsidian bolt with as much ease as an acrobat, only to be impacted in the chest by the blunt protrusion at the end of the dragon's tail.

The original attack released by Nova sped past the spot where Sonic had been, crashing into the wide eyed Silver with a blood chilling scream. The ivory hedgehog spun in the air, black tendrils crawling over his Wyvern Form. The green and obsidian energies seemed to be at war, battling for the fate of the Third Incarnation.

The icy fingers of darkness seared Silver's flesh, nearly fully penetrating through his shield before the winds surrounding him managed to flare in strength at the last moment, momentarily saving him from sure death.

Silver had managed to prevail, although the Wyvern surrounding him flickered with an uneven rhythm from this single attack. While the blue speed demon and the ivory psychic were attempting to recover from the respective blows they'd been dealt, the echidna princess and the huntress were preparing to take the offensive.

Rouge knew the dragon's very element put her at a disadvantage, and wasn't even sure if she could survive one more direct hit, but she was determined. The bat had proven her worth, fighting with a ferocity to match even Knuckles or Sonic.

The mystifying female flexed her slender fingers, drawing the power of her beast around her to a single, massive column of water. Slamming this wall of moisture into Nova's chest, the bat smirked in satisfaction when it screamed in pain, and released a ragged cough, blood seeping from its lips.

The princess gave it no time to recover or retaliate, raising her open hands towards the heavens, she channeled a majestic light into the madly swirling orbs cradled there. A frown of mild disapproval, like that of a scolding mother crept onto her face, as she pointed the incredibly bright attacks towards the demon's heart.

Nova's eyes widened at the heavenly projectiles headed for it, and dove out of their path with a single powerful flap. Firing off crackling beams of ebon light as if its reserve of power was infinite, the dragon managed to strike the princess, the guardian, and the sand-wielder.

Each of the three that had been hit reeled with pain, their nerves on fire, and their auras weakened. It was doubtless that a direct hit from a Black Thunder while not protected by one of the beasts' energy shields would kill one of them easily, and even with them, each blow felt like an impact from a semi-truck.

They could only dodge as many as possible, and occupy Nova while their comrades' shields regenerated.

_** "Ha, fools! Without the Cerberus, you cannot hope to defeat me!" **_Nova boasted, its teeth flashing in a wicked grin.

"We have the light to aid us," Tikal said strangely calmly, as if she was totally doubtless of their triumph. The Griffon, unlike the calming Phoenix, or the maddening Chimera, was reassuring. Like a comforting, grandfatherly voice, it removed every trace of fear.

_**"That alone is not enough. To defeat me, or my master..." **_it paused a moment for dramatic effect, while licking the blood from its lips. _**"You will need the aid of one who does not fear the night. One who basks in darkness."**_

__Sonic's eyes unconsciously flicked in the direction of the hill on which he'd laid Shadow, hoping that at any moment, the betrayer would fly over, and finish off Nova.

He could see it now: the ultimate lifeform confessing that now that his brother was dead, his life lacked any meaning. That revenge wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and he would gladly return to them. They would find some way to remove that cursed emerald from his chest, and in return for his help stopping Nova, G.U.N. would pardon him.

The dark hedgehog would be reunited with him, and then he and Knuckles would cuss each other out, and then he and Rouge would finally be together. As one team, they would hunt down and defeat whatever remained of Sarx's organization.

But the world was silent in response to his hopeful daydream. The prodigal betrayer was nowhere to be seen. Shadow hadn't arrived. Trying to believe that he would, the cerulean hero glared at Nova, his eyes alight.

"He's not here yet, but when Shads shows up, he'll hand you an ass-whooping so gnarly, you won't be able to sit down for a month!" Although it could be asked if the Titan Beasts ever sit down in the abyss, Sonic's feisty remark seemed like a perfectly good one to him.

"Until then, we'll have to be little Novie's playmates," Algos taunted, hardening the sand circling his form into several spike-covered boulders.

The demon smirked in response, its body alive with electricity. The tense moment didn't last very long, as all six Incarnations charged at Nova, eyes alight in fury and wrath. The dragon seemed to almost anticipate the attacks before they came, almost reveling in the intensity of the battle.

With a colossal roar, Nova batted Silver away with a swipe of its mighty tail. One of Algos' projectiles narrowly missed the demon at the same time as Nova countered a pair of Shining Lances with its own writhing barrage.

The unholy lightning collided with Sonic's energy, releasing an earth shaking tremor that seemed to tear the sky. Not deterred by this impact, the Black Thunder continued screaming towards Sonic, calling out for his blood.

The golden warrior's eyes narrowed slightly, before he concentrated his energy into a pulse that matched the one throbbing in his head.

"Chaos Control!" he shouted, disappearing in a flash of light that matched his own coloring. The dragon's electric breath passed through the space where the hero had been moments ago, doing no harm at all.

The sea-blue hedgehog shot forward the moment he materialized, an angry snarl escaping his lips. The dragon snapped at Sonic, nearly devouring him within its massive jaws. The flame enshrouded guardian rushed to support him, two searing hot pillars leaping off his arms. The dragon moved like the lightning it wielded, avoiding both their attacks with an astonishing ease and dexterity for its tremendous bulk.  
The heroes could not get a blow in, the demon proving too strong for their exhausted bodies, and spent energy. All of them had not yet even recovered from their battles in Sarx's tower, and now, Nova was completely replenished thanks to his prayer to the god of darkness.

Sweat dripped down their bodies, intermixed with blood, bruises, and burn patches of fur and flesh. Tikal's clothes were still torn from her battle with Grove, although even in this disheveled state, the princess looked strangely dignified.

Knuckles had been speared through the arm with Sarx's sword, and only recently used his Phoenix Form on Kakos. Sonic had been forced to use the Super Form against Eclipse, and then spent a massive quantity of energy in his merciless attacks on the ivory wolf himself. Rouge had been particularly affected by Nova's attacks thanks to her water shield, and had actually been knocked unconscious in the fight against Sarx.

They were all tired, discouraged, at the end of their rope. It seemed as though the Chimera's dark prophesy would soon become a reality. The dragon had evaded almost every attempt made on it, and now turned towards the heroes with a venomous snarl, its intentions obvious.

Nova's black eyes flashed in fury as it inhaled deeply, preparing to unleash a deadly deluge of darkness upon them, which would surely be the end.

Abruptly, it wheeled around, without attacking them, to stare at some point in the distance, a sudden blank expression in its eyes. The six of them were about to take advantage of this precious opportunity, when they saw what Nova was staring at.

Each of them, in turn, looked at the spectacle behind the mixed blue serpent, and each of them - if for only a moment, floated there silently in shock and awe.

Awakening them from their trance, the demon flapped its mighty wings, roaring violently as it surged forward. The heavens shook as the dragon streaked forward, drawing closer and closer to the burning obsidian hedgehog approaching them.

Each of their reaction differed upon seeing their former friend's unleashed form, but whatever it may have been, from surprise, to anger, to joy - they quickly followed behind the great Titan Beast, ready for anything.


	98. Darkness

**Chapter 98- Darkness**

Shadow smashed into Nova with a brutal yell, the flaming energy of his Cerberus lashing out at the demon on contact. Releasing a titanic scream; thunder that shook the very heavens, the dragon flailed violently, random bolts of energy flooding out of its jaws. The others had arrived at the scene, but were too surprised by their ally's sudden appearance to do anything but gawk.

...That is, except for Sonic.

His grassy green irises watched Shadow carefully, intently, as if engrossed; frozen in time and space, yet consciously aware of each torturous moment. The ultimate lifeform didn't give Nova a second of reprieve, slamming consecutive Chaos Spears into its sides, burning away flesh at an astonishing rate.

Blood blackened teeth clenched tightly, and the Titan Beast swung its massive tail at the obsidian warrior. Shadow smirked, vanishing in the blink of an eye, completely avoiding the attack as if the battle were mere child's play. However, his vicious assault was halted.

The claret stained betrayer appeared within the group of friends, surprising them. But just as the last time they'd met him, his eyes were empty... dead. He said nothing, staring straight at Nova, and making eye contact with none of them, as if he were ignoring their very existence.

The demon gasped slightly, and spat up a clot of blood, further staining its razor sharp teeth.

_**"Ah, so the hound of hell has finally arrived..." **_Nova growled, its burning orbs boring into Shadow. The black and red hedgehog's eyes narrowed microscopically. _**"You are late." **_

__A dark, humorless chuckle escaped the ultimate lifeform's mouth, his lips twisting into a confident smirk. The first emotion he'd displayed: cockiness. "I'm never late. I arrive when I want to."

Nova's taunting grin widened further, sending a shiver up some of the heroes' spines. Shadow ignored the gesture. _**"Have you come to rejoin your friends' little club?"**_

__The crimson streaked betrayer's smug grin died as quickly as it appeared, the soulless mask that Sonic detested sliding back into place at the mention of his former connections.

In that moment, the cerulean speed demon knew that the chasm of separation between him and Shadow had not been bridged by the dark hedgehog's victory over his brother. After all he'd done to repair what had been lost, it still wasn't enough. The reunion he had dreamed of was still just a distant fantasy.

"I didn't come here for them. I came for your head," he deadpanned, empty ruby eyes unblinking. Nova did not seem worried, or surprised, much unlike the other Incarnations.

_**"I hate to disappoint, but you'll find that rather difficult, little one."**_

__A right arm stained with the poisonous, milky yellow and the arching obsidian flames of the Dark Super Form shot out, its fingers open. "Is that a challenge?"

As if time meant nothing whatsoever, Shadow hung there a moment, the Cerberus swirling gently around his body, like waves of liquid darkness. Tiny sparks of golden light appeared in his outstretched palm, gracefully orbiting it in lazy circles. In a moment, these came together in a single shimmering orb, contrasting brilliantly with the shroud of the hound.

The air seemed to have gone cold as the madly crackling Chaos Spear formed within Shadow's hand expanded. A tense, quiet moment filled the air, where even the monstrous demon silently stared, as though the universe itself was transfixed on that single flaring light.

Tendrils of the Cerberus' eerie darkness climbed down his arm, wrapping around the Chaos Spear and encasing it in an obsidian shroud.

Sonic shuddered. So this was the power of the legendary Seventh Incarnation, the one as hellish and menacing as the Griffon's was sacred and vibrant. With a frown, he came to the realization that it mirrored the new Shadow perfectly.

When they had met him the first time since their separation, at Mephiles' lair, they had known that their former friend had buried his true self, his true emotion, underneath a shield of indifference, and darkness.

Now, it was literally true, sitting in front of Sonic's eyes and taunting him with parallels to his failures, driving him insane with fury.

**'Save your wrath for Nova. The Cerberus will be needed if you hope for victory,' **the Chimera chided, as Sonic deeply inhaled, attempting to dispel his rage and prepare for the fight ahead.

Surprising them all, Shadow turned and pointed his corrupted Chaos Spear at Sonic, his emotionless crimson eyes staring straight into his soul.

"This doesn't change anything," he said dryly, almost as if he were tired of explaining the same thing over and over. "Just don't get in my way."

Rouge could feel her heart shatter at his cold words, cracking into a million irreparable pieces. The world became a frozen, merciless place, devoid of any comfort, companionship, or meaning. If what Shadow said was true, everything she'd done for the past two years was for nothing.

Her life might as well be for nothing. **'Stop this foolishness. You're so close,' **the beast of the seas assured her. **'You don't have time to wallow in self-pity. Now, prove your worth to this ungrateful son of a bitch.' **

The Cerberus surrounding Shadow seemed to be able to hear the conversation going on in Rouge's mind, and rippled in anger. But Shadow's cold, empty stare didn't relent.

Sonic didn't even blink, even in the face of the wildly sparking orb of death aimed straight at him. The ultimate lifeform ignored his former friend's empty stare, and turned around to face his true enemy.

Nova bared blood blackened teeth in an insidious smile upon meeting his gaze, their eyes drilling into each other with the intensity of an exploding star. The brief confrontational stare faded as the combatants lazily approached each other, almost as if they were oblivious to the fact they were locked in mortal combat.  
Shadow stalked closer and closer to the pale blue dragon, cold indifference on his face and the wildly crackling orb still screaming within his palm, begging to be loosed upon the world, to destroy and devour. Nova's massive wings flapped gradually up and down, drawing the demon over to dwarf the ultimate lifeform as if he were a mere insect, a pathetically small being when compared to the massive dragon.

The darkness enshrouded avenger didn't seem to notice this, and suddenly accelerated, his blazing Chaos Spear pointed in front of him like an obsidian bullet, aimed straight for the beast's heart. The other Incarnations by now had more or less escaped from the numbness that Shadow's arrival had carried with it, charging forward as well to attack the Titan Beast with the full power of all seven legendary beasts.

Shadow's attack fell first, smashing into Nova's chest like a cannonball, and earning a high pitched scream from the demon. The ultimate lifeform flipped elegantly backwards to avoid a swipe from Nova's electrified tail, as the others' attacks came in succession.

The barrage overwhelmed Nova; the endless stream of attacks. Flames leapt out from Knuckles' body, lapping at Nova's heaving sides and burning through scales and skin to expose the beast's great muscles. Rouge formed the water surrounding her into needle-like tentacles, stabbing into Nova repeatedly, and slashing up and down the dragon's massive form.

Occasionally, the dragon would fire off a blast of lightning in its desperation, but even when it would get lucky and manage to hit one of them, the others would merely continue their assault, occupying it while the wounded Incarnation allowed their shield to regenerate.

The demon resembled a tiny planet hanging there in the sky, with seven moons orbiting around it, each a different color. The moons raced at breakneck speeds to dodge a desperate yet powerful Black Thunder, replying with attacks to match their colors.

Electricity, water, fire, energy, earth, wind, light and darkness danced in the sky, melding together and swirling around each other in a mystifying symphony of colors and elements. The shroud of the Cerberus rippled as more energy the color of night collided with the demon, searing chunks of flesh out of its body.

Ivory teeth flashed as a roar shook the heavens and power to match that of the Cerberus flowed forth in response, drenching Shadow in a torrent of electric power. But just as how Rouge, her aura being composed of water, had been more heavily damaged by the attack, Shadow, because his aura was composed of darkness itself, was hardly damaged by Nova's barrage.

"Is that the best you've got?" was his dead reply after a brief moment of pain. Nova snarled in response, eyes alight with fury. The dragon began to attack more furiously, retaking the offensive as dozens of deadly bolts rained down from its mouth every second.

Shadow spun and darted through the air as if he were an eagle, completely controlled, and wasting no more force or energy than was required to evade every attack. Three of the others weren't so lucky, and had to deal with the damage dealt to their strained auras.

Knuckles' fire had managed to consume most of the bolt's power, but Nova had seen this, and hit him with a second bolt before Algos had been able to distract its attention with a noose of sand around its enormous neck. The second attack hit him at exactly the wrong time, as his shield fluctuated naturally, but even more so when recovering from a hard blow.

The second bolt of lightning had managed to hit him as the flames were weakest, causing him to nearly plummet from the sky. The guardian managed to hold on to consciousness, instantly replying with an attack of his own, the fires of his beast flaring off him and drilling into the dragon.

Nova was beginning to fall into desperation, not being able to fend them all off at once. The beast quickly evaluated the situation, and realized that it may not have been able to be the victor. However, the dragon was determined to at the very least, strike down some of the Incarnations... take them with it.

Amidst the battle, fiery obsidian eyes flicked over them all to determined which one would be easiest to kill. Nova's piercing gaze came to rest upon the ivory huntress, the power of the seas billowing around her.

Dodging first an enormous boulder flung at it by Algos, and then a hurricane force gale blasted at it by the wind Incarnation, Nova dove underneath the heroes, grinning with homicidal intent.

Fire and energy rained down on the great serpent, but Nova twisted and writhed to avoid each and every attack, gradually approaching its pre-meditated target with an insatiable malice. Rouge gasped at seeing the Titan Beast's hellish eyes drilling into her, and had to suppress a shiver.

More fruitless attempts were dodged by Nova, its colossal wings carrying it closer and closer to the bat. Sonic seemed to realize the demon's dark intentions, and launched himself at Nova, a brilliant sphere of energy blazing within each palm.

The speed demon collided with Nova's side, blood erupting onto him from the exposed flesh and tendons where he slammed the attacks into the dragon. Nova hardly seemed to notice this affliction, and snarled at Sonic as it loomed over him, its shadow engulfing him entirely.

The others tried to come to Sonic's aid, but it was too late. Before they had the chance to stop it, the demon had wrapped its mighty claws around the cobalt hero's body, and began to squeeze, tighter and tighter. Sonic's eyes bugled out of his head, and despite the Chimera's energy burning against the demon, it continued to press, hoping to burst the hedgehog.

The sand manipulating hedgehog, fire commanding echidna, and light harnessing princess fell upon Nova, desperate to save Sonic. Their attacks came in brutal succession, a brilliant photon slamming into the demon at the same time as a pillar of flame, intermixed with dozens of jagged rocks.

Nova reacted instinctively, and hurled Sonic at its assailants. The warrior encased in the raw power of golden energy hurtled forward, headed directly for them like a living missile. Algos was nowhere near Sonic's trajectory, and merely continued his assault on the dragon as indifferently as if Nova had thrown a rock at them.

Knuckles had to dive to the left to avoid the frantically screaming Sonic, whose momentum hadn't nearly worn off. Tikal was dead center in the blue missile's path, and was struck in the stomach by Sonic.

Fending off Algos with a sparking swipe of its tail, Nova ignored the others and continued on its dead set path, pointed at Rouge. Sonic had failed to protect her, and the bat was separated from the others, ideal prey for the demon.

A massive tentacle of water shot out from her aura, coiling around Nova's wing and snapping it as if it were nothing but paper. The dragon screamed so loud that the heavens themselves shook, as each and every Incarnation - Shadow included - covered their ears from the booming volume.

Turning towards Rouge with even more fury and hatred than before, Nova drew back its head, jaws open wide and housing a brilliant obsidian spark. The bat's eyes widened at the deadly attack headed directly for her, as her life flashed before her eyes.

She'd been hit once by Nova's furious lightning, and didn't think she'd be able to withstand another one. With the the searing bolt mere feet away from her trembling form, Rouge closed her eyes and braced herself for the coming agony.


	99. An Ultimate's Goodbye

**Chapter 99- An Ultimate's Goodbye**

Rouge kept her eyes squeezed tightly shut for a moment, before realizing that she hadn't felt anything. No torturous deluge of demonic power, no whistle of air going by her ears as she hurtled to the ground hundreds of feet below, to her certain demise.

No screams of worry from her companions as she drew her last breath. She was still alive. The bat slowly opened her aquamarine orbs, wondering how she had been saved from her imminent death.

She found herself staring up at the stoic face of Shadow, his eyes as distant and empty as ever. But nonetheless, she was cradled within his arms, much like how she and Sonic had carried him earlier.

"Shadow..." she whimpered, looking up at his haunting scarlet pupils that had long lost their sparkle.

The ultimate lifeform said nothing, abruptly releasing her, and giving her only a moment to hold herself aloft. Without so much as an explanation, or a remark of any kind, the dark hedgehog disappeared in a flash of Chaos Control, leaving her all alone.

Instantly materializing right next to Nova, Shadow slammed a Chaos Nightmare into the hulking monstrosity, and before it had time to retaliate, prepared yet another attack. By now, Sonic and Tikal had recovered from their collision, and joined Shadow in his assault on the demon.

Shining Lances screamed side by side with Chaos Spears, the gold, black, and white lights dancing among each other as they flew towards Nova. The combined attack of first these three, and then Knuckles as well, and then Algos began to overwhelm Nova.

Rouge had valiantly snapped its wing even in the face of her own death, and now the Titan Beast was struggling to evade their blows, each successful attack making it weaker and weaker.

Replying with scathing ebony bolts, the dragon screamed in fury when its intended target of Algos easily dodged the powerful lightning. Shadow and Sonic's eyes met, and wordless communication occurred, as if they both thought of the same thing at the same time, and were making sure the other was in on the plan.

Both hedgehogs surged forward, Shadow with the distinctive red glow of a Chaos Blast channeled into his fists, and Sonic with dual Titan Lances shimmering and screaming with a lust for the demon's blood.

Realizing what the pair intended, Tikal raised her hand into the air, summoning an ethereal brilliance to dance within it. Snaking around her arm were tendrils of silver light, glowing with such majestic purity that it seemed impossible anything in the world could match their brightness.

The sun itself seemed to pale in comparison. The light engulfed everything, the sky stained a starch white with the power of the Griffon. Nova was lost in this sea of holy nothingness, its eyes searing with the divine light.

Sonic and Shadow were facing away from the echidna princess, so their eyes weren't as affected by the incredible brightness. The dragon was completely vulnerable to their attacks.

They chose precisely that moment to strike. The crimson stained avenger loosed his power first, beams of energy matching his coloring exploding from his fists to slam into Nova's side and sear away flesh and bone as it was nothing. The gold enshrouded hero was next, moving faster than an eye can bat.

First ramming one Titan Lance directly into Nova's face, Sonic didn't even take the time to witness the miniature explosion that consumed nostrils and lips, burning eyes out of its head in an instantaneous flash. Not hesitating a moment, the azure warrior unleashed his next Titan Lance upon the beast's chest, burning a hole through scaly armor, through skin and flesh, to expose the core of the monster.

A twisted, deformed heart beat black and hard within the monster's chest, peeking out of a small hole torn in the creature's flesh by the sheer power of Sonic's attack. The hedgehog was caught off guard by the sight of a beating heart directly in front of his eyes, and was struck hard in the stomach by the demon's tail.

Nova coughed, liquid the color of fire trailing down its lips, and sloshing out, trailing onto whatever, or whoever, was unfortunate enough to be below. The dragon's face was charred and stripped bare, deformed by Sonic's brutal attack.

The finely crafted details of its ice blue scales were stripped away, and black, featureless flesh remained. The beast's eyes had been caught, and looked as if they'd been diluted, like milk had been poured into them.

They were a misty, vacant grey, the fire doused from them. And yet the eyes flicked about, contempt still within their empty surfaces, as the dragon flapped its wings in a frantic, uneven rhythm.

It's jaw had even been harmed by the Titan Lance, and hung limply. But eerily, despite the fact that Nova's jaw was clearly broken, perhaps even severed from its head, the rough, hateful voice that had taunted them throughout the battle emanated forth.

_**"I... have failed my mission." **_it admitted, blood still streamed from its parted lips. The group breathed a sigh of relief at this, all of them now confident of their victory.

They were celebrating too soon. _**"But soon enough, my master will have his vengeance. You'll not fare so well against my brothers." **_

__Although they were disheartened slightly by this warning, the group didn't realize the full ramifications of what was happening. "We'll see about that!" Sonic rang out, his voice strong and cocky from the recent blows he'd inflicted to the demon.

The broken jaw bone snapped back into place, a sickly crack echoing over the skies. The demon's yellowed teeth curved in an insidious grin, as the soulless grey eyes of the void drilled into them, one by one.

_**"Your overconfidence will soon be corrected. Just because I shall fall, doesn't mean that I can't destroy you all in the process." **_the dragon licked its lips, as if imagining the taste of their blood. _**"When Hyrda is unleashed, your replacements will be too inexperienced to do a thing." **_

__The mixed reactions of the group was apparent, from shock, to horror, to confidence, to cold indifference. Tikal glared at the demon, a heavenly light manifesting within her palm. "You're finished. Return to the abyss from whence you came."

Nova snarled, flapping its wings to draw back from the heroes.

"Is it running away?" Sonic wondered aloud, as they followed behind.

Tikal hurled her attack at Nova, but the dragon hardly seemed to notice the flesh seared from its body.

"I don't think so."

They all turned towards Shadow, held in awe by the simple statement made to address them, until now he'd perhaps considered it too trivial to bother speaking to them. Perhaps he was afraid he and Sonic would argue, and that would give Nova an edge, or maybe he'd been wary of Sonic convincing him to return to them.

_Flashback_

_** "Ah, so the hound of hell has finally arrived..." **Nova growled, its burning orbs boring into Shadow. The black and red hedgehog's eyes narrowed microscopically. **"You are late." **_

_A dark, humorless chuckle escaped the ultimate lifeform's mouth, his lips twisting into a confident smirk. The first emotion he'd displayed: cockiness. "I'm never late. I arrive when I want to." _

_ Nova's taunting grin widened further, sending a shiver up some of the heroes' spines. Shadow ignored the gesture. **"Have you come to rejoin your friends' little club?"**_

_The crimson streaked betrayer's smug grin died as quickly as it appeared, the soulless mask that Sonic detested sliding back into place at the mention of his former connections. _

_ In that moment, the cerulean speed demon knew that the chasm of separation between him and Shadow had not been bridged by the dark hedgehog's victory over his brother. After all he'd done to repair what had been lost, it still wasn't enough. The reunion he had dreamed of was still just a distant fantasy. _

_ "I didn't come here for them. I came for your head," he deadpanned, empty ruby eyes unblinking. Nova did not seem worried, or surprised, much unlike the other Incarnations. _

_ **"I hate to disappoint, but you'll find that rather difficult, little one."**_

_A right arm stained with the poisonous, milky yellow and the arching obsidian flames of the Dark Super Form shot out, its fingers open. "Is that a challenge?"_

_End Flashback_

This was all Shadow had said the entire time, and now he'd spoken again, capturing everyone's attention.

"Then what is he doing?" Silver seemed the least affected by the dark hedgehog's powerful presence, and was the one who dared inquire of him. Shadow's empty crimson eyes flicked to the ivory hedgehog, boring into him momentarily, before they returned to Nova.

"See for yourself."

The dragon had stopped moving, at about two hundred feet away from them. It had raised its head into the air, and birthed an enormous obsidian orb of swirling energy into existence there. But the demon was not aiming it at them, or even paying attention to them. It was simply adding more power to the orb, the flow of dark power from its mouth to the huge sphere a continuous electrical flow.

"What the hell?" was the only remark Sonic could think of. Shadow sighed, as if he were ashamed to have ever associated with someone of Sonic's intellect, as he turned to face his former friend.

"Obviously, Nova intends to expand the attack until it reaches colossal proportions, killing itself in the process, but taking us all down with it," he scoffed, cracking the knuckles of his right hand one by one.

Sonic seemed unsurprised by this, and glared at Nova with a hatred uncommon to his emerald eyes. "We have to stop it!"

The crimson guardian couldn't help but stifle a chuckle, even in the face of such a fate. "No shit."

The ebony ultimate, cloaked within darkness itself, looked towards Knuckles. "This is no laughing matter. Whoever is close to Nova when the dragon is killed will probably be devoured in the explosion."

The group turned to look at the rapidly expanding orb, the grim realization of this truth dawning upon them. One of them would have to die. Of course, they couldn't let the world be destroyed by the other Titan Beasts, but truth be told, none of them were anxious to volunteer.

"I'll do it."

Each of them - save one - gasped at Sonic's remark, turning to him in shock and worry.

"**Have you lost your mind?**" Knuckles screamed, the fires surrounding him flaring at his sudden outburst, as if an indication of his tempter.

Sonic was quiet, his eyes focussed upon Nova. Shadow turned to face him, his soulless crimson eyes burning with uncommon emotion. "You... moron. There's no way you'll survive the blast."

Sonic's eyes widened slightly at the dangerous, reckless look in Shadow's eyes. For a millisecond, they were back in the old days again, fighting Robotnik side by side. Shadow didn't seem caught in the nostalgia, and continued. "I on the other hand: may be able to."

The cobalt hero was about to open his mouth to protest, when Shadow sensed this, and rendered him something intended to silence him. A kick to his open mouth which caused him to bite his tongue and spin in mid-air sufficed.

Shadow's eyes flicked over each of them in Sonic's disorientation, as he slowly removed the ring bracelets around his wrists. Allowing them to hurtle to the ground like tiny golden comets, they soon passed out of sight as they traveled downwards.

His chilling scarlet eyes came to rest on Rouge one last time, their pupils dancing and glossy. The ultimate lifeform turned away, to face the gargantuan sphere of energy that matched his coloring, his beast, everything about him.

Whispering a final set of words, he departed. _"Rouge... Sonic... goodbye." _

Shocked by his cryptic mutterings, Rouge felt hot, salty tears begin to sting her eyes, as Shadow charged at Nova's orb of dark power.

Putting the full energy of the Cerberus into his attack, Shadow held his Chaos Spear in both hands, the projectile writhing wildly as if it had a life of its own. Nova's blown spark-plug eyes flicked towards him in fear and disbelief, the dragon couldn't believe that he was going to attempt to diffuse the enormous blast building in its jaws.

The raging ball of darkness' might was at least fifty feet in diameter, huge even in proportion to Nova. And this was the compact state the energy was in, compressed. Once it was released, it would likely engulf much of the city.

Shadow's lips turned upwards for a split second in a smirk, before he collided with the madly writhing sphere of energy, the power of the Hell Hound flowing through him, and drowning out any fear. His thoughts returned to his _friends_ the moment before impact.

He would miss them.

The ball of dark fire detonated, expanding to devour an area three times its original size. Nova was caught in the waves of its own electric shadow, screaming and flailing as what remained of its flesh was seared away.

The Incarnations hung in the air, shock on their faces, worry creasing their brows. The attack continued to expand, cracking pavement and shattering glass as it contacted the city below in its growth. Several buildings were swept up in the corrosive current, as if being devoured by a Black Hole.

Finally, when the dark sphere had reached a size of seven hundred feet across - an area large enough that neither Shadow nor Nova could possibly have escaped from short of teleportation, it began to detract, Nova's scream still ringing from within it.

Slowly the orb grew smaller, as the harrowing cry of the first Titan Beast shook the sky, thunder rumbling with its pain and its fury. More tears dripped down Rouge's cheeks, imaging the fate Shadow must have suffered if he were caught within the blast.

The ultimate lifeform had only had a split second after the orb's release to use Chaos Control, or he would have been easily consumed by the raging inferno of Nova's final attack. When finally the darkness crept backwards until it disappeared completely, the air was still, and not one of them moved a muscle.

The blank expanse of blue sky hovered mockingly before them, devoid of either the colossal dragon, or the dark avenger. Nova had been vanquished by its own fury, destroyed in a suicidal attack by the bearer of darkness, Shadow the Hedgehog.

Rouge now sobbed openly, burying her face in her hands. Sonic's head jerked from side to side, scouring every inch of the city for any sign of his friend.

"Shadow?" he called, hoping, praying for some kind of response, anything.

But not a sound answered him, as if the entire universe were mute, mocking him with its silence. The world was silent, except for the sound of the bat's weeping.

"**Shadow!**" Sonic screamed, flying out over the ruins of the city, shouting the name over and over. As the others hung their heads and returned to the skyscraper from which they'd originally come, Sonic and Rouge remained floating above the city, refusing to give up. For what seemed like days, the two continued searching, looking over the expanse of the ruined metropolis for any sign of the dark hedgehog.

They came to float just above the ground, turning over cracked slabs of pavement and shattered light poles, rummaging through the remains of the city, for any sign of their friend. With a gasp, Sonic noticed a golden flickering on the ground, flying over to investigate, his heart beating wildly.

To his disappointment, it was only Shadow's discarded ring bracelet, laying cold and dead on the ground, silent as the emptiness bubbling from within him. The cerulean hero slowly fell, coming to his knees and screaming out into the city in pain and desperation.

After yelling until his voice was hoarse, Sonic finally broke down into tears, as his eyes met Rouge's. Staring down at the cold, golden ring that lay within his hand, the one that matched the color of his beast, he saw that Rouge had one too.

Emotions overflowing, the two of them slowly returned to the others, Shadow's bracelets held tightly over their hearts as they rose up to the rooftop from which their hopeless battle had begun. Their tears continued to drop lazily down, raining upon the dead city like a bitter downpour, a deluge of emotion that had broken free.

Thinking back to the obsidian friend they'd had, they looked back over the city, holding out one last shred of hope in their hearts that perhaps he was out there somewhere.

Sonic stared down as the metallic ring clutched within his fingers, coming to the realization that the friend he'd once had was gone forever.

Shadow had always had a peculiar way of saying goodbye.


	100. Dawn of Crimson Twilight

**Chapter 100- Dawn of Crimson Twilight**

After the heroes' battle with Nova, about a month had passed, and the afternoon sun hung lazily in the sky, as if suspended on an invisible string. Already, cranes and construction sites were spread over Central City, and the rubble created by the cataclysmic struggle had long been cleared away.

It was a familiar scene, reminiscent of a forest, which shortly after burning down, is beginning to be reborn. Tender, vulnerable shoots would grow from the ashes and remains of their predecessors, making the continual, never-ending cycle that is life.

Overhead, the softly darkening skies were completely clear, much like that day upon which the fated battle had taken place. Underneath the azure canvas that was beginning to taint violet, stood a motionless figure.

The being was frozen upon a hilltop, a billowing ebony cloak lightly caressing its body in the piercing wind, which howled and whispered like the screams of departed spirits. Obscuring his features was a deep, almost abyssal cowl... a sea of darkness that hid everything. It almost looked like the cloak was an entity all of its own, and that there was nobody inside it.

The cloaked figure's arms were crossed over its chest, causing the fiery ivory markings on its sleeves to meld together, as a single forefront of flame stretching across an endless expanse of soulless obsidian. Separated from the billowing ebony presence by a few hundred feet were the surviving heroes.

They stood at the bottom of a hill, looking out at the city, each one with a slightly different emotion painted upon their face. The sky blue echidna's eyes were squinting, the scar on his right eye furrowing with his neutral expression. Although he wasn't all that moved by the dark hedgehog's departure, he also realized what a mistake it would be to make the feelings of the others seem less legitimate.

Silver and Blaze had come into contact with Shadow before, or at least, had been given the memories by Mephiles. Although their connections were not as strong as some of the others, they had harbored great hope that he could be redeemed, and brought back into their group. At Shadow's departure, they were deeply saddened, even if not to the same degree as Sonic or Rouge.

The cerulean hedgehog's expressive emerald eyes were glossy and wet, moisture periodically gathering at the edges to signify his tremendous pain. The ring he had found in Central City hung loosely from one hand, as if it would drop to the ground at any moment, and he stared down at the grassy earth, frozen in his sorrow.

With incredible poise, Tikal was saying a few words in the obsidian avenger's honor, partly for Sonic and Rouge's benefit, and much to commemorate his final sacrifice in the battle with Nova.

The cloaked figure moved slightly closer to hear what was being said.

"-in the face of mortal peril, sacrificed himself in order to save the rest of us. Clearly, he was a misunderstood and misjudged individual," Tikal said softly yet ceremoniously, as if they were burying him without his body.

"No honor we can give him is worthy of such sacrifice. It is said that there is no greater love than one who would lay down his life for his friends."

As soon as the word friends left her lips, a dark scowl tainted Sonic's eyes, his emotions breaking free. He began muttering to himself in between sobs over and over, his eyes fluttering madly, almost as if he was going insane.

_"It's all my fault... my fault. It's all my fault." _

In remembrance of the dark hedgehog's actions, neither Sonic nor Rouge could hold back any longer. Bitter tears that stung like liquid fire trailed down their cheeks, plopping down onto the ground with a disorganized rhythm.

"Although Shadow is no longer with us, surely he watches over us, guiding us along with the spirits of those who are gone," she breathed, her eyes closing momentarily, as if even she had to hold back tears.

Tails had hardly gotten over Shadow seeming to be dead the first time before he'd been subjected to the same thing a second time, the young fox being visibly distraught at the death of someone he knew, even if he was never incredibly close to him.

They all heard the crunch of the grass being compressed behind them, and some turned to see who was approaching. Sonic remained in place, allowing the others to see first that the G.U.N. Commander, unlike the rest of the organization he served, had come to honor the black and red hedgehog.

The aged man first stood in front of Sonic, staring down at the azure hero with mismatched eyes that were dead and empty. "We are once again in your debt," he said, his face a grim mask except for the slight smile turning up the corners of his frail lips. Sonic hardly seemed to notice the Commander had been speaking to him, merely nodding absently and staring off into the distance, as if lost deep in thought.

Rouge looked as if she was on the verge of tears the whole time, and the Commander suddenly placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder, his expression softening in sympathy.

"You have my condolences, Ms. Rouge. This must be especially hard for you."

She bit her lip and nodded, reluctantly accepting the thanks she had been given, yet clinging for dear life to Shadow's ring, as if it would float away if she didn't clutch onto it with all her strength.

Algos' maddening cerulean eyes bored into the Commander, who seemed to recognize the hedgehog, as if he'd seen him long ago. The general quickly turned away from the sand brown hedgehog, staring off at the city that was in the process of being repaired, his lip quivering slightly.

"So this is the thanks you receive Shadow. You can save the world twice, and sacrifice yourself for a city of people, and you still have only your friends to honor you. Sick."

Despite the irreverent nature of the Commander's eulogy, the ice in his voice was not directed at the departed ultimate lifeform, but rather at the very organization he was a part of, the very society he served.

"Perhaps I have underestimated the world's capacity for forgiveness," he stated grimly, before turning away from the reconstruction sites and steel spires. His eyes flicked one time to each of them one final time, as he slowly began to pace away.

He muttered one final set of words as he departed, none of them turning to watch him go. "Thank you, Shadow."

There was an expectant silence left by the Commander's departure, Algos' maddeningly blue eyes trailing after him as he left, until he was indistinguishable. Tikal began to speak again, even more softly than before, and the cloaked figure had to move slightly closer to even hear what she was saying.

"Six of the incarnations may be here to receive this triumph, bit it was _seven _that cast down the dragon which sought to consume the world in darkness and fire." Somehow, this neutral, vague statement unleashed even more of Sonic and Rouge's emotion, the bat clutching onto the cerulean hero, crying on his shoulder frantically and hopelessly, as if the whole world were meaningless and worthless without the presence of the ebony warrior.

A quiet moment of introspection and consideration passed, the heroes all silently staring into the darkening sky, some weeping outright, others holding back tears, and still some practically unmoved.

The crimson guardian couldn't think of a time when the blue hero had seemed this shattered, this utterly and completely spent, as if he had nothing left to give but his tears, and even they were beginning to run out. Feeling a tinge of remorse, he attempted to comfort Sonic in the only way he could.

Laying a hand upon the hero's shoulder, he smiled, as if to say that everything would be okay. He'd never liked Shadow, and could not summon any poetic words or eloquent speeches to commemorate him. But regardless, he sympathized with his friend.

_It starts with..._

_One thing, I don't know why_

_It doesn't even matter how hard you try_

_Keep that in mind_

_I designed this rhyme_

_To explain in due time_

_All I know_

As they were all standing there quietly Silver noticed that one of them was missing. He jerked his head around to see if he could spot them, and stopped abruptly, his mouth hung open slightly. A sand brown form was stalking away from them, his legs moving in a slow yet determined stride that was gradually carrying him into the distance. There was no way he was wandering, you could tell from his very walk, his grim silence that the tan hedgehog knew exactly where he intended to go.

_Time is a valuable thing_

_Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings_

_Watch it count down to the end of the day_

_The clock ticks life away_

_It's so unreal_

For a moment, the air hung in Silver's throat, as if he couldn't think of any words to describe their group shattering to pieces before his very eyes. He blinked, shaking his head and forcing himself to speak. "Algos, where are you going?"

His shouting alerted the others to the sand manipulator's departure, but it took a moment to rationalize what they'd heard. They turned to stare at him with wide eyes, and he had stopped walking when he heard his name, freezing in place as if he was spellbound by time. He said nothing in response for a moment, as if unsure himself of the answer to the question, despite the confidence that had been apparent in his purposeful stride.

_Didn't look out below_

_Watch the time go right out the window_

_Trying to hold on but didn't even know_

_Wasted it all just to_

_Watch you go_

Turning to face them, his brilliant cerulean eyes danced momentarily, catching the light of the evening sun as his lips parted a full second before words came forth. Sonic's teary eyes narrowed, expecting some sinister promise to destroy G.U.N. or something.

Algos' upper lips quivered, as he'd been overtaken by an emotion so powerful, even his twisted, calloused mind didn't know how to control it. "To find the truth."

_I kept everything inside _

_and even though I tried it all fell apart_

_What it meant to me will eventually be a memory_

_of a time when _

The others were open-mouthed and wordless in response to this, as Algos blinked once, and remained there, motionless for a second. His incredibly blue eyes flicked to each of them, a strange expression within their lenses.

"You taught me the value of friendship Sonic." Algos turned away, but remained in place, raising his hand into the air, some of his sand rising to obey his command. A moment passed as he continued to slowly walk away, particles of sand swirling lazily around him. "But Shadow has taught me that sometimes... you need to do things on your own."

_I tried so hard_

_And got so far_

_But in the end_

_It doesn't even matter_

They were all stunned, numbed by this revelation, realizing that the sand brown hedgehog was leaving just as Shadow had, walking in the deceased hedgehog's footsteps.

"Wait!" Amy was the first to recover from Algos' cryptic remarks, and as such, was the first to protest to him leaving without any explanation other than the truth, and that he was leaving... which could have meant anything.

_I had to fall_

_To lose it all_

_But in the end_

_It doesn't even matter_

Algos either didn't hear her, or didn't care, not even hesitating or giving any sign that his friends even existed. As if he had all the time in the world, he slowly walked away, his footsteps crunching blades of grass underneath him, his body growing smaller and smaller until finally, he stopped on a distant hilltop.

None of them moved to stop him, knowing he was dead set in his decision, that none of them could make him stay. They were in no shape to fight Algos, emotionally or physically, and somewhere, in the dark recesses of Sonic's mind, he had given up hope. He had failed Shadow, and he would not stand in Algos' way the same as he had with the dark hedgehog.

_One thing, I don't know why_

_It doesn't even matter how hard you try_

_Keep that in mind_

_I designed this rhyme_

_To remind myself how_

_I tried so hard_

The biting wind tousled the sand hedgehog's quills, tossing them about as if they were its playthings. The Dragon wielder remained frozen for a moment, motionless atop the grassy swell. Then, he gradually began to disintegrate, breaking apart to form granules of his element, his inner strength, slowly transforming himself into millions of the grains that were his blessing and his curse.

The heroes looked on in a mix of horror and sadness, as Algos seemed to disintegrate before their very eyes. Slowly he broke apart into the clumps of sand, no longer a hedgehog but a floating mass of twisting desert.

_In spite of the way you were mocking me_

_Acting like I was part of your property_

_Remembering all the times you fought with me_

_I'm surprised it got so far_

The tan, dusty material that Algos had become was carried off by the wind, disappearing faster than any of them could move, or speak, or react in any way at all. Only a moment ago, he had been there, and now, he was gone, vanished before their very eyes, like Shadow had done two years ago.

_Things aren't the way they were before_

_You wouldn't even recognize me anymore_

_Not that you knew me back then_

_But it all comes back to me_

_In the end_

Amy turned towards Sonic, a look in her eyes that pleaded with him for reassurance, for him to wink, and fire off one of his cocky, toothy grins that insisted that no matter how bad things got, they would always pull through. Her emerald eyes shimmered with unshed tears, ones that mourned Shadow and Algos, a sadness for one friend gone forever and one that was beyond their reach.

_You kept everything inside _

_and even though I tried, it all fell apart_

_What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when _

His face was a blank, dead mask, holding no emotion but the bitter regret and unfathomable sadness. The azure speed demon was devoid of comforting words, he couldn't even maintain his own emotional stability, much less try to support hers. He stared down at her blankly, the wet trails left on his cheeks simmering like twin, silver rivers.

_I tried so hard_

_And got so far_

_But in the end_

_It doesn't even matter_

Not knowing what else to do, he absently offered her a hug, and the rose female gladly took it, burying her head in his calming, warm embrace. She could feel the soft thumping of his heart against her, a beat that had never seemed so timid and weak before. Despite how warm Sonic felt to Amy, the cerulean hero himself felt as if he had been cast into an icy abyss, as if the frozen sorrows had bubbled up from deep within him to consume him.

_I had to fall_

_To lose it all_

_But in the end_

_It doesn't even matter_

The pink hedgehog cried against her hero, as he tried to remain strong, and support her. He had already failed Rouge, and in some way, he'd failed Shadow too. With a heavy heart, he frowned in determination as he promised inwardly to protect the others, to never let harm come to Amy or his friends.

_I've put my trust in you_

_Pushed as far as I can go_

_For all this_

_There's only one thing you should know_

Chaos and Tikal's eyes met, a wordless communication within their glance. They looked at each other a while, before Tikal nodded, and Chaos winked, and then looked away, even his usual cocky smirk not quite gone amidst the sorrows of the others... but faded nonetheless.

"Looks like Sunshine followed his brother's footsteps after all. They're probably together right now." Chaos remained quiet a moment, a slight smile teasing the corner of his lips. "Mortals are such strange creatures."

_I've put my trust in you_

_Pushed as far as I can go_

_For all this_

_There's only one thing you should know_

The robed figure stood upon a hill overlooking the scene, having witnessed everything that happened. He had no commentary of these events, as if he were a mere cold, indifferent statue silently watching without emotion. The light wind continued to cause his cloak to billow, as if it had a life of its own, a writhing ebony mass writhing wildly amidst the sun beginning to set.

_I tried so hard_

_And got so far_

_But in the end_

_It doesn't even matter_

A familiar presence materialized behind the featureless silhouette, but he did not turn to greet the newcomer. A voice that hissed like a thousand serpents rang out from the newly arrived being, a voice that sounded as if it could make the leaves upon the trees wither and die, and winter wear on for weeks after the end of the season. A voice that came from the very depths of hell, drowned within malice and despair.

_I tried so hard_

_And got so far_

_But in the end_

_It doesn't even matter_

"It's time to go..." A gloved hand clasped onto the first stranger's shoulder, the flame design on the newcomer's sleeve rippling as if it were real fire burning into the obsidian cloak of the first.

In response to this command, he nodded, and slowly turned around, to face the setting sun. The sky was stained with the color of blood, as if the very horizon was alight with fiery embers. The burning orb of Sol lapped upwards with roaring scarlet flares, casting dancing shadows over the fields, as the world began to darken.

_I had to fall_

_To lose it all_

_But in the end_

_It doesn't even matter_...

As the sun neared the end of its downward curve, a final claret flash claimed the heavens, casting a final light on the grassy expanse.

The momentary illumination reflected off the the lenses of the first figure's eyes, setting them alight, and clearly visible within the dark shroud of the obsidian hood.

Catching the last light of the crimson twilight, the eyes glowed with a vibrance and color that matched the sky perfectly. The two figures disappeared the next moment, in a brief flash of luminosity, as the dark of night engulfed the world.

-

Author's Notes: Obviously, the song is "In the End" by Linkin Park. This is the final chapter of the story... but perhaps not the end. Keep an eye out for the sequel in the future, which will answer all of your questions, and unravel the mystery of the remaining Titan Beasts, and the mysterious organization that was responsible for this tragedy. 

It shall be called Crimson Twilight. It will be some time before you can expect me to begin publishing the next, and final installment. I'll be getting a head start on writing it, so that I can update regularly without worrying about writer's block.

See you then.


End file.
